No!
by dragonsflyfree
Summary: …now there was only hate and neglect. Was this his destiny, to make everyone hate him sooner or later? Was trying his best not enough?...
1. Chapter 1 : Like another planet

**NO!**

By dragonsflyfree

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Charmed

**A/N :** My first story ever! So have mercy.

Added on 22/05/2007: Thanks to my wonderful beta Rachel!!!!

Enjoy!

**Chapter one: Like another planet…**

No, Chris would not give in. That was the one thing he was sure of.

No one would ever see his tears. Not again, not now. There was no time for his silly childish emotions anyway.

They could treat him like trash and kick his ass every time they saw him, but as long as he could make himself believe that this wasn't his family- in a way – he could survive it all.

But the closer he came to these people, the more he felt that this was all his heart was longing for!

The brown haired young man lay at a rather shabby couch in the backroom of the club his mother – or to be more specific, his future mother-to-be - owned.

Chris was a "man on a mission" as his friends used to taunt before he came back to the past, to try to save literally the whole world at once. So just to make it less pathetic they had simply called it "the mission", even if this was an understatement.

The dark room without any window and only lit by a single poor bulb, stuffed full with papers and bar equipment wasn't the best place to stay for the night. It was loud and cold, and from time to time the barkeeper stepped in to fill up his stock of bottles out of the boxes which were stored in this room.

Just to say it: It was a lousy place to find more than a few hours sleep at night.

Chris didn't care anyways. In his life at the resistance, he had learned the hard way that any place, if it was dry and safe from the demons that ruled the streets of the city, was a good place to lay your head down.

For him this cold, noisy room was enough.

But when he thought of the room he´d once lived in as a child at the family-manor, he felt a longing that he could hardly stand.

The worst thing was, that his room and all the warmth of a loving and caring family and a "normal" life that it represented to him was there. It was so to near him, he could almost touch it, and yet so far away that it may as well be on an entirely other planet.

"Great Chris", he thought bitter "you´re behaving like a whining little baby! Stay focused on your mission! And that does _not _include reliving your long-lost childhood. You're such a childish fool sometimes," he scolded himself.

His emerald green eyes looked up the ceiling, which was the only place Piper had not plastered with band posters. While looking at the swaying of a lost Spider web his mother seemed to have overseen at one of her last cleaning-attacks´- "You know the cleaning staff today…. Impossible how slovenly they work….." - Chris still had her comments ringing in his ears as he slowly drifted away into an unsteady sleep.

Soon after this, a dream flew into his restless mind. And he immediately recognized where it was settled…….

_Chris felt extremely hot air surrounding him. The asphalt underneath his sneakers seemed to boil, and there was a dry, foul smell hanging over the whole city._

_Soon streams of sweat poured down Chris´ forehead and began to trickle out of the longish wavy hairs at the nape of his neck. _

_There was no escaping this heat. _

_Since Wyatt, his power hungry and, in Chris opinion completely crazy and evil-fallen big brother, had affected the weather with his magical interventions´, there was not the slightest cloud in the sky. In the whole city there was no way of getting water anymore, except the amount near to nothing that the "almighty- near brain-dead- lord- leader of the city" gave to those who swore loyalty to him._

"_Great", Chris thought, "I just invented a new one for my "evil-tyrant-title-collection." _

_A sarcastic grin hushed over his face._

_The trees and plants in the once so beautiful city were long gone. Their skeletons along the alleys were like the tombstones that completed the picture of what this city now was:_

_A graveyard!_

_There were only ruins left of the once so beautiful and cosy houses, that gave __San Francisco its once inimitable charm._

_No people were to be seen outside on the streets anymore._

_Since the energy-supply had broken down, the humans were in hiding, or had left the city alltogether._

_Before he exactly knew why, Chris felt - thanks to his white lighter senses - the strange desire to run. But not to run for no particular reason –_

_No, he started to run for his very life. _

_Eventually he had at least made one right decision in his life by joining the track team when he was eleven. Now these times running away´ became one of his best, most needed skills ever. _

_It was strange how the wheels of fate turned. _

_After a few minutes he gave in to the temptation to look back over his shoulder, even if he knew that this would cost him precious time._

_Chris saw a crowd of the most horrifying demons he had ever seen, and you can bet that growing up as a Halliwell, with his sixteen years, he had seen a whole host of demons, more than some witches would see in their entire lives. _

_Chris could tell just by the short look at the demons what kind of followers he had. _

_Not that he had as much practice in vanquishing demons as the rest of his family had– in contrary, to be honest, he hated vanquishing – but he had always been mesmerized by the research of this creatures._

_He was a smart boy so his knowledge was now far beyond even the Book of Shadows. He had worked out his own, much more comprehensive notes._

_But what was the use to know that his followers could perhaps not outrun him but would make this up with an extreme perseverance? And no matter how stupid they were they had an extraordinarily high-levelled demonic leader who coordinated their moves as professional as any of the resistance leaders would do._

_Not to mention that they outnumbered him by far._

_These thoughts made him speed up, but after some time he felt his legs tiring up. Soon his body would give up this run. And there was no place left where he could make an honest attempt to hide._

_Furthermore ît was simply too hot!_

_He felt as if outside, there was no oxygen left to breathe into his burning lungs._

_He still ran, but the demons didn't tire up in any way. They were used to this infernal heat. _

_But Chris wasn't._

_He cursed the anti-orbing spell his brother had cast over the whole city._

_Then the most feared moment was there: the point of total exhaustion, when his legs finally gave up the fight._

_Chris tried to push himself harder, just a few steps further. _

"_Come on, you can't give in that easy, doing the race of your life, or better for your life after closer contemplation, and that should be everything ?"_

_These thoughts gave him a few more precious meters._

"_There has to be a way, there simply has to be!"_

_Chris´ heart raced on high speed and one desperate idea after another chased around his head._

"_All useless!" he stated. _

_Then it was over._

_He steadied himself at the nearest wall and tried to keep standing upright on his now painfully convulsing legs. He started coughing and felt as if he had to throw up his lungs along with the rest of his insides that had to be also somewhere amongst the intense nausea._

_The boy waited for his pursuers to reach him. He wouldn't give up his freedom_– _or life? – without a hell of a fight._

_It seemed as if the demons knew his determination all to well. They slowly came nearer._

_In the end the fear of their "egomanic-to-the point of vomit-lord leader" (Chris winced-he´d done it again – bad habit!) overshadowed the fear of his little brothers´ powers widely._

_Chris stared with his usual calm mask into the yellow piercing eyes of the demon leader._

"_Don't make it hard for both of us", the demon growled, "you know that this is a losing battle! And our lord will not be pleased if we do too much damage to his sibling."_

"_Oh, how caring!" Chris spat out._

"_There is nothing caring about it", the demon grinned, "It will only cost him more power to fix you up to "work" with you!"_

_Chris´ heart sank at the unclear but scary imagination of what the little word "work" implied for him. This sent a shiver down his spine, but he didn't let the demons see his fears._

"_You know its all about power these days", the demon leader continued. "I think you haven't met your brother for a long time? You'll be surprised! He's now as evil as anyone could be, far beyond the scale even for us demons. Do you have the slightest idea what it takes to rule the underworld?"_

_And one more time Chris couldn't stop himself from being a smart-ass: _

"_He had worked out a good social-system plan and offered every demon a health insurance?"_

_Yeah, real smooth Chris. If you get smashed now you at least deserve it...kind of !´ he thought._

_The demons howled a strange laughter. In this moment Chris realized that they all were, in a way, on the same side. There was nothing they wanted more than to stop Wyatt._

_For different reasons, of course, But Chris would, at given time - provided that he would survive this day, have to think about how he could use this to his own advantage._

_For now though, this would not help him at all out of this precare situation._

_There was a long tense silence, while every party waited for the first move……._

"_You know I will not come with you willingly!" Chris stated._

"_Unfortunately yes!" the demon answered in the same faked calm voice._

"_So be it." Chris said his voice barely above a whisper._

_The demon raised his hand and bowed slightly in respect for the strong willed young man._

_As he lowered his hand again the battle began._

_Chris TK´d the first row of the approaching demons into the next wall, which broke down under the heavy force and buried them, along with their taken-by-surprise leader, below it._

_The first salvo of fireballs flew in Chris direction while he desperately tried to duck away. He backfired some of them telekinetically, right into the two demons standing next to him, as he became aware that he was slowly becoming encircled by his attackers._

_Ok, last moves!´Chris thought not really hoping for a rescuing wonder. At the very least, I'm going to take as many of them out as I can.´_

_He concentrated all of his remaining power in this one last strike._

_This is really ready to become the biggest blow ever,´ Chris thought, and suddenly he caught himself thinking how he wished his brother could witness this one. _

_In some ways he would always be the self-proving little brother he once was._

_As the demons made their move against him, they were all hit by a giant ring-forming energy blast, in which centre Chris broke down as soon as he had released it._

_After the screams of dozens of vanquished demons no longer filled the air, there was a strange picture to be seen._

_A young man, almost a boy, was lying in a huge amount of smoking ashes._

_Chris tried desperately to remain conscious, while the last of the demons- one with piercing yellow eyes- crawled slowly out of a pile of bricks. _

_The demon came without any hurry near his slightly shaking prey._

_He formed a fireball in his hands and pushed it forward towards the helpless young man._

_While hearing Chris screams of agony, the demon whispered,_

"f_or my family!"_

_TBC…_


	2. Chapter 2 : No escape

Disclaimer: I still don't own Charmed, but I think that, with all the great stories out there in the net: Charmed should belong to every one of you more than any TV-boss, really. They may have the copyright, but the soul belongs to us!

A/N: Thanks for all the nice reviews! Keep at it!

A/N: 22/6/2007: Chapter is now fixed! Thanks Rachel!

* * *

**Chapter two: No escape … **

"Chris...CHRIS!...!" Phoebe yelled while shaking her violently screaming young whitelighter awake. "Come on now, wake up- you're safe, just wake up _please_!"

The eyes of the heavily panting boy fluttered open. Chris needed some time to recognize where he was. As he became aware that Phoebe had witnessed a part of his dream he winced. Had she recognized the "brother-thing"?

Oh goodness, the last thing he needed right now was another interrogation!

His screams must have been heard not only by his aunt, but also outside of the room. It was only a matter of time before the rest of the Halliwell-bunch chose to join in too.

He immediately backed away on the couch. What should he say now? How would he explain the heavy nightmares about his past that he had been having for weeks now? Chris felt that in this weak state of stress and sleep deprivation he would not stand the questioning. He would spill out his secret sooner or later.

Maybe Phoebe would not ask?

Yeah right, dream on Christopher! This is your _aunt Phoebe_, the nosiest person ever seen in history!´

The expression on her face told the boy that she would defend her title tonight. He could already see the questions on her face.

She would ask for sure!

So Chris did the first thing that came into his mind.

Just as Phoebe opened her mouth to question him, the young whitelighter orbed away.

Chris found himself up at the place that gave him some space to think and eventually some peace for his troubled mind.

The wind up on golden gate bridge blew only slightly but cold and in the air was the moist of the sea.

He sat down on the cold steel and leaned against a large steel-strut.

High up above the sparkling lights of the sparse night traffic below, he looked out over the far city, which seemed to be asleep and only lightened by the starry chains of the street lamps. This picture was so peaceful, so calming.

The images of the nightmare faded slowly.

This wasn't a place to survive in. This was a place to _live_.

He smiled a sad smile at the thought of a carefree life in this city along with his family. Or what the Halliwells would call "a carefree life"… and his smile widened.

He once knew this life. As a child he was surrounded by all the love and care his crazy, very special family could give.

And there had been _a lot_ of love…

…now there was only hate and neglect. Was this his destiny, to make everyone hate him sooner or later?

Was trying his best not enough?

Slowly Chris´ warm thoughts of home collided with the harsh present reality.

Dampness soaked his thin shirt which made him feel ice cold, and he began to shiver slightly. What he thought would keep him awake only made him drowsier. Soon he wasn't able to keep his eyes open anymore. He felt his eyelids slowly closing.

Chris attempted to stay awake. He could not fall asleep on a bridge, no way! But he had not the strength anymore to orb away or at least simply to open his eyes again.

The need for sleep and the exhaustion overcame the fears of his dreams…..

…_..there he was again! _

_Back at the place he swore he would never return to. The spot so filled up with fear, pain and bare desperation, that he thought it must have self exploded by the power of emotions. _

_The demon had at least brought the badly injured and unconscious young whitelighter into one of Wyatt's high security cells, which meant no orbing, no powers and - no escape !_

_But the messed up boy, who was lying stretched out on the hard steel floor, was so totally exhausted, that the demon could have left the door open without any attempt of escape from the kid._

_Chris had literally used all of his remaining powers to the decline for his last strike. _

_The demon eyed the boy he had delivered to his undoubtedly terrible fate tonight. _

_He could be only 16... at most 17 years old. But the aura that was around him even in this weak state was the one of a grown up man, a warrior even._

_For a short time he was worried the boy's low breathing would stop completely._

_Seconds of intense staring at his chest went by, till he could recognize a slow up and down of the whitelighters chest again. _

_The demon left the cell to report to his lord. _

_The prey he had delivered was alive, so he knew that he and his family would survive this night too. _

_Later that night, as Chris reached consciousness again he kept his eyes closed. He didn't need to see who was sitting beside him, waiting for him to wake up—_

_Wyatt!_

_He gave himself some time to assess his current state. After the first careful attempt to simply tense his muscles, he felt his worst suspicions painfully verified. He was indeed very seriously injured and, in addition to that, as powerless as a new born baby. _

_There was no way to stop the inevitable, so he slowly opened his emerald green eyes and looked straight into the now steel-grey cold eyes of the thing that he´d once known as his brother. _

_Seeing his little brother in such a miserable state, Wyatt felt the strong urge to put him into a soft and warm bed and to heal him immediately. _

_The - in the last year grown up, but in his opinion still too feeble - boy, who was now lying crouched before him, looked so pale, so fragile. It had to break everyone's heart just to look._

_Wyatt's frames softened by this thought and he got lost in some long buried childhood memories. _

_Soon his vision blurred and his face hardened again. _

_This wasn't his baby brother in need – this was a member of the resistance, someone who Wyatt believed deeply would kill him on the spot, if given the opportunity. This dirty little traitor earned no mercy. _

_But something - one strangely soft and tiny something inside of him, insisted to stop his cruel thoughts. _

_It told him, that he was going to hurt the one he loved the most, in this crazy lonely world. _

_Wyatt was surprised about his odd feelings._

_I thought I had overcome this stupid little thing a long time ago!´_

_But the annoying thing called heart was very persevering. _

_He would have to take care of this stinging little problem in the near future! _

_As Chris locked eyes with the black dressed man he formally knew as his brother, his empathic side was suddenly overwhelmed with a huge amount of feelings. _

_Love, hate, fear, confusion…………..all of Wyatt's feelings overcame him at the same time and he had no strength left to build up an effective blockade. Everything crashed down hard into his brain and began literally to scream in his mind. _

"_Save him! Kill him! You love him! Make an end to this little brat! NO! YES! KILL!" _

_Chris´ head seemed to explode. He had to end this! _

_Chris screamed until his throat wasn't willing to form the slightest sound anymore. He pressed his hands hard on his temples as the feeling his head would burst grew stronger and stronger! _

_He gathered his strength for one last desperate scream: "STOP IT NOW WYATT!" _

…

Leo was sitting next to the charmed ones young whitelighter on the golden gate bridge.

Phoebe had called him in concern for Chris.

She had told him that she'd seen Chris getting attacked by a demon. The witch was not sure at all, if she had seen the past of the boy or had a premonition. There were only fragments that had flashed through her mind and she had not been able to make out anything specific.

Leo had sensed for the youngster, who was, much to his surprise, not blocking him as usual. So he had orbed to the bridge, not quite concerned but willing to talk to Chris, and to bring the stubborn boy to his senses again.

There was no way the whitelighter could let his personal life influence his job to protect the charmed ones, and most especially, Wyatt! He _had_ to fulfill his duties.

As he saw the crouched up, miserable looking form of the whitelighter, he couldn't yell at him anymore. The boy seemed to be fast asleep. Remembering how tired and exhausted Chris had been for the last few weeks, he decided to give him some more minutes of peaceful sleep and to guard over him so that he didn´t fall from the small space he lay on.

He sat down beside him and his thoughts began to wander around…… he reflected about the many times he knew Chris had been sitting secretly besides Wyatt's bed to protect him, the same way Leo as doing now.

Shame overcame him as he thought that that should be _his_ job. A father's duty. But the stupid elders wouldn't let him leave him upthere´ all that often.

Without any complaints, Chris did more than he had to do, and how badly he was thanked for it ….

Now Leo became really ashamed. But the notorious little smart ass did in response to that practically everything to bring the family up against him. Why did he always have to be so stubborn and chilly?

Suddenly Chris started to writhe and kick in his sleep. Leo was alarmed!

Going through a nightmare when you´d fallen asleep on a bridge was a really bad idea, not to say that it could be the last thing you ever did.

For Leo's sense of security this was getting far too dangerous now.

He tried to wake the boy with no effect; Chris was completely out of it. So Leo took Chris into a tight hug around his shoulders to prevent him from falling to his death in his restless sleep.

For the first time Leo became aware how frail the young man was. Deep down he felt that he had to protect him, no matter how angry the dismissive behaviour of the kid made him.

But instead of feeling the safety Leo´s hold gave him, the boy started to scream and struggled even harder. In a desperate attempt to protect his head from hearing whatever was beeing said in his dreams he tried to get away from the firm grip, so he could cover his ears. His arm crashed hard into a steel beam.

Leo just strengthened his hold as he heard Chris´ screams:

"STOP IT NOW WYATT!"

With this he woke up startled.

"_Why should I stop Christopher, we haven't even started…!"_

Wyatt's words resounded in Chris ears. He felt a hot throbbing pain in his head and was so engaged in the desperate attempt to suppress the thundering roar in his ears that it took some more time to realize that there was something wrong with his right arm. As he moved it unconsciously at this thought, an enormous keen pain started to race from his forearm upwards right into his shoulder.

What happened here? Where was he? His mind asked as Chris slowly became more aware of the situation he was in.

Half awake, half captivated in his nightmare he tried to get away from his supposed captor.

Leo eased his grip carefully as he thought that Chris might be awake enough to take care of himself again.

For what seemed an eternity for Chris, Leo just looked at him, while the kid stared unfocused into the distance.

Both of them were uncertain of where to go from here. So Leo tried to make a first move.

"That must have been one hell of a nightmare!"

"Yep!" Chris answered simply while he carefully supported his aching arm.

"Wanna talk about it?" Leo asked hopefully.

"Don't think so", stated Chris with his common calm emotionless mask. How he hoped Leo wouldn't recognize the pain he was in. The last thing he wanted was pity. He couldn't _bare_ pity at the moment!

For Chris´ relief the elder didn't notice the smallest indication. His almost life long practice in hiding his pain and weak-points from Wyatt had finally come in handy.

Quite in the reverse Leo felt that Chris' stubbornness was starting to annoy him, but then again he remembered the picture of the frail helpless kid that he had held just a few minutes ago, he tried to retrieve the feelings which had overwhelmed him then.

So he started another attempt to get the boy to talk.

"Let me tell you what I think about your situation."

"I'd prefered the silence, if you asked me!" Chris replied as a last effort to distract Leo from the subject.

However he went on anyway.

"I think this job over-exerts you completely! So we should relieve you from this burden.

I mean look at you: Your constitution seems to be more then bad.

The main duty of a whitelighter should be to keep his charges alive, but your aim should also be to keep _yourself_ alive. I think we elders made a mistake to burden you with such overwhelming responsibility." Leo said, now in honest concern.

Chris however recognized only one essence of the speech: Leo was abandoning him - again!

His answer was appropriate: "You mean I'm too weak! I'm not worth it!"

"Don't be moody, we will find a solution for your problems!

I mean you're what? Nineteen or twenty?

Maybe in a few years …"

The problem was that there were not a few years left. The time to find whatever turned Wyatt was melting away. His family wasn't even aware that his mission was not only to protect Wyatt, but to save the entire world from the evil tyrant Wyatt might become if he failed to save him. Let alone that his family wasn't even aware that they _were _his family.Phoebe couldn't have found out the "brother-thing", because then Leo would know of it by now. She simply wasn't able to keep any secret.

Chris had confided his secrets to no one in the past, and now his decision to keep it his own seemed to be backfiring.

"You can't be serious, Leo! You think I can't fulfil my duties?

When did you last look in the mirror?

You don't seem to be very successful neither as a father nor as an elder. Goodness you don't even know what you are! You failed even in that simple decision!"

And once more Chris had reached the intended effect, leading away the focus from himself and his well protected secrets.

Leo was angry, and the fact that Chris was right made him even angrier.

This little lay-about whitelighter knew absolutely nothing about him. Who was he to judge him?

At this moment, it was hard to remember his elderly pacifist side.

So what had started as a low-key but earnest approach between the both of them had ended like almost every talk between Leo and Chris: With anger and misunderstanding.

Leo did the first thing that came to his mind at the moment, he orbed away.

"Like father like son" Chris muttered as he was once again alone.

Was it time to reveal the truth? Would they really take away his only possibility to change everything, his whitelighter job? His mission was in danger, all the people that had laid their life trustfully in Chris' hands; he _could not_ let them down.

'Ok you have to find a way to get rid of these dreams! So what could be the cause for your nightmares?

Think, Christopher Halliwell!'

It wasn't exactly easy to think about how to solve problems that affected his whole mission, while the pain in his for sure broken arm intensified with every passing second.

Chris tried to push the pain aside - as he had done countless times before - and focussed on the real problems.

"Maybe the time-line in my mind is disturbed because of the time travelling, and my head tries to keep things in order by replaying how things should stick together?"

But the dreams often came at a random sequence.

Or his head was not able to find the right way to store his now confirming new-memories which were settled in his past. His linear time-order system seemed to be getting converted into some sort of drawer system, in which his mind ordered his main life experiences and memories anew and put them in said system while he was sleeping.

How long should this be going on, and was he right with his suspicions?

Or was he really and seriously going to loose his mind?

"Yeah, time for the shrink now!" Chris thought and with a smirk he added

"If I reconsider about my whole family…this could become a good old family tradition!

"_The Halliwell wing for magical madness, at the psychiatric hospital of San Francisco."_ Thanks to the greater good: They seem to have indeed a lot of humour to let us all run around free!"

It felt good to have a little bit of bantering around even if it was only with himself.

"Oh, oh! Evidence number one for the shrink-theory: The test-subject is making jokes with himself!

OK, all kidding aside. Focus Chris…!"

He had to proof that he could do it, that they needed him he simply _had_ to!

He would overcome this stupid sleeping problem, and he would be the best whitelighter ever seen.

Perhaps he would have to tell the sisters the truth... or _some _of the truth at least.

He hoped that there would be a possibility to show the sisters his loyalty and determination. It was time to risk everything.

"This is going to be truth or dare Chris, or maybe even both?"

Chris didn't know how fast his chance would come….

TBC…


	3. Chapter 3: Coming down

**Disclaimer: **I don´t own them, but by the way who would want them durably. They are much too expensive in maintenance costs. So I borrow them and then will give them back as good as new. OK Chris might be a bit damaged. But what do you have your own personal elder for, eh?

**A/N:** 29.6.2007: Now 'betaed' - thanks Rachel!!!

* * *

**Chapter three: Coming down**

The following day Chris wandered around the city.

No-one noticed the young one with the slightly grubby, creased shirt and the baggy jeans. Chris thought about how his messy look and his disheveled hair would have made his mom shout.

If she could see him now…

But here was only the Piper of the past who didn't give a damn about him.

'Whatever, this is San Francisco´, Chris thought with a trace of a smile playing around his lips. The city where everyone could live and walk around just like they preferred to do.

As long as you were not running around screaming "DEMONS!", or you suddenly appeared in bright blue-white orbs on Main Street, no-one would even notice you. And even if you did…, but Chris wasn't sure about this at all. So he decided better not to try!

For now, here on the streets he was just a normal guy strolling around.

If any one of the passengers had known where Chris had planned to go next, their opinion about him could have been changed- maybe.

Chris enjoyed the feeling of just being "normal", even if it was only for a short while.

Leo had suspended him from his whitelighter duties, but he was not willing to accept that.

He'd made a decision, and in that sense he was as stubborn as …well, his father, he had to admit.

He had decided to fight; to do what ever lay in his powers to change the direction his father had forced the fate. He would bring everything into line again, so he would not have to return into his dark future to go on with the resistance war.

However, now…here was the place!

Chris entered an insignificant-looking Chinese shop in a lonesome, a bit dingy back alley far away from the pulsating life of the main streets. Nothing really showed anyone that there was a shop here at all. On the wall atop of an old wooden door was one simple Chinese symbol painted in bright red. "Life", it told the uninitiated- "really old magic" it promised the magic community.

Chris entered the store a little hesitant. He knew exactly what he wanted, and that he would almost certainly find it here, but he had not the slightest idea as to how he could pay for it.

But he would care about that later on. The young man was prepared to find an old, tanned and wrinkled man behind the counter. Someone with silver-grey hair and eyes mirroring the wisdom of centuries.

Therefore Chris was surprised to find a young girl alone in the centre of the shop.

She must have been around his age. Her long dark hair was caned in a braid which lay elegant around her right shoulder. Immediately Chris had to clear up with some other stupid prejudices. She didn't wear the obligatory silk suit he would have expected.

"Watching too much TV makes you stupid, you always knew!" Chris mumbled to himself.

The girl wore wide black jeans and a tight sleeveless top, in which some dark shining effects sparkled. She sat in the middle of the store on a small seat cushion with closed eyes.

Chris stood in the doorway, unsure of wether he should speak up or not. The girl seemed to meditate, and he knew from his future aunt Phoebe, that you should never disturb someone's meditation.

Yes, sometimes he had spared some attention for one of her endless dry lectures, he remembered with a trace of a smile. But his smile was soon washed away, as his thoughts went on…

That almost insane interest of his aunt in meditation and the search for inner peace had started after his mum had been killed, right before…

"I've awaited you", a voice awoke him out of his deep thoughts.

"What?" was his nonchalant introduction.

"Well, good morning to you too!" the girl replied with a small inviting smile.

"Uh, Sorry! Good morning, I'm Chris!"

Lissom, the girl stood up to face Chris.

He was halfway towards giving her a handshake, when a sharp pain reminded him, that shaking hands with a broken arm would not be the best of ideas ever. So he left it by a simple friendly smile for the girl.

"So how did you know I was coming?" he asked curious.

With that the girl's expression became very intent.

"The ghosts of the ancestral told me!"

Chris smiled unconsciously.

"This is no funny stuff, kid!" she said.

"I know that. I had some experiences with the ghosts of my ancestral as well."

Chris went on smiling, as he thought about the ghosts of his grams and grandma and their literally eternal squabbling.

"Oh, I see", the girl responded wondering, surprised that the ancestral stuff interested someone who was so definitely non - Asian.

There seemed to be many prejudices to overcome on both sides.

"So how can I help you, mister-experienced-with-ghostly-ancestral?"

Chris liked the girl's sense of sarcasm. In other circumstances he would have loved to have been able to kid-around a bit with her, but for the moment the case required he be serious right now.

"I need something to overcome some real bad nightmares," he said in a calm voice, hoping the girl would _not_ kid-around about this.

There was nothing funny about his dreams, and to call them bad was an understatement. They were slowly eating him up inside!

The girl sensed his serious need. Chris meanwhile tried to lighten the severity in the atmosphere between both of them with a little small talk.

"By the way, I introduced myself, but what's your name at all?"

The girl flushed imperceptibly, but then again showed her strong side.

"I'm Tian-Zhou, but I think Tia would do."

"OK, Tia then", Chris said smiling one of his most engaging smiles, that at home had granted him to get everything he wanted to reach.

Tia smiled fathomlessly at him and came straight back to their business affairs.

"So you need something to keep them away?"

"No, I would never, oh I mean yes, the dreams, for sure!"

"I could give you a potion. A very powerful one, by the way. It will keep the nightmares away…"

Then she became suddenly silent and Chris could formally see the "but" she had not added in Tia's face.

"Where is the "but?", he asked instantly. "Tell me what's the snag on this potion?"

"There could be some serious secondary effects!"

"Which are…?" said Chris raising an eyebrow, as his mother would have done.

"You know, every dream has its aim, whether they are good or bad ones. Blocking them out would mean taking away an important tool of self healing from your soul. This can't be healthy in the long run. It's obvious that you can't take the potion forever. Although it is to be feared, that the nightmares will come back with an impetuous force, if you stop taking the potion. I think the longer you take the potion, the heavier the side effects might become. You have to consider if your case is worth it. If you want it, I can reconcile with giving you one vial of the potion."

Chris was determined to take this potion whatever it may cost him. He would deal later on with the consequences.

At the moment he needed a clear head, which he hoped would come back with some hours of a deep relaxed sleep.

This brought both of them to the main problem: The payment!

The only money Chris "owned" was some forgotten change from the last grocery shopping he had done for Piper, which was about 12 dollars.

Uncertain, his left hushed into his jeans pocket.

"Erm, I'd like to have your potion, but…"

"…You can't pay properly!" she finished his sentence. "Ok, how much do you have?"

Timid, Chris put his spare money onto the counter, carefully avoiding Tia's glance.

Tia smiled sadly at the ten dollar note and the small heap of coins.

Chris had given her literally all his money, down to his last cent.

She respected this gesture deeply.

"So that's all, hmm!"

"Mhm" Chris mumbled, staring intensively at his shoes while he shuffled them against the floor.

"Ok", Tia said, "we make an arrangement: I'll give you the potion, but you'll owe me a favour in return!"

Chris became uncertain. He hated to be in someone's debt.

"What favour you mean?"

"I don't know yet, but you'll know when its time for it!"

Chris looked up. This was a real crucial for his nerves.

"I can only promise you, that it will be nothing that would act against the greater good!"

The young whitelighter was suspicious; he had a bad feeling in his stomach.

But desperate circumstances required desperate measures.

"Ok, 12 dollars and a favour for the pretty lady, and a goodnight sleep for the guy experienced with ancestral ghosts in return, that's the deal!"

He smiled, and Tia was glad to see him smile again.

Out of some wooden box she took a little vial. Its content glowed night blue.

'That fits,' Chris thought.

"It's very small", he said. Too small, if he thought about the things he had to overcome.

"One drop every time before you go to sleep will be enough. But be aware, if you forget or stop taking it, the side effects will crash in. So be careful!"

Tia attached the vial to a long thin silver-chain and fastened it around Chris' neck.

Then she took two steps back and looked awaiting with a slanted head.

Chris felt uncomfortable.

"Um, thank you, I think I should leave now?"

"Don't you think we should take care of this too?" she said gently touching his right arm.

Chris pulled back his injured arm instinctively. Once again he paid with an intense pain for the movement.

Tia winced as Chris let out a repressed cry. The last thing she wanted to do was to cause more pain than necessary to the boy.

Chris felt the sudden impulse to back off, but Tia kept holding his arm gently but firm.

She examined his injured arm with amazing dexterity.

"How long did you run around with _that_ arm! It's definitely broken," she stated.

Chris mumbled something unintelligible.

Without hesitation the young woman took hold with her left hand right above the elbow of the broken forearm and pulled with her right hand onto Chris´ wrist with surprising power.

Chris yelled out in pain at the top of his voice.

"What was this for?" he asked, as he got his breath back.

"I only fixed your bone" Tia said, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

She medicated the arm with an awfull-smelling ointment, and covered it with a clean cotton cloth.

With deft fingers she put a provisional splint out of some small bamboo slats onto Chris arm.

He had to grit his teeth, while holding his arm. It was now severely throbbing, but there was no way to escape Tia's soft grip.

Chris could only look with big jade eyes, and try to hold back the tears.

Soon after Tia had finished the procedure the pain faded slowly to a more bearable level.

"You have to take care that you don't strain that arm for at least three weeks."

'Dream on,' Chris thought, but was grateful nevertheless. What Tia had done seemed to have worked.

"Why did nobody take care of your injury before? Don't you know any whitelighters?" Tia asked.

"None I would like to meet at the moment" Chris muttered, hardly audible.

"OK, that's your decision", she said while putting his splinted arm into a sling.

Then she guided Chris out of the store and surprisingly put a kiss on Chris´ forehead.

"So have sweet dreams Christopher, and take care of yourself!"

"Thank you!" was all Chris managed to say as he walked away a little irritated.

After Chris had left the alley, Tia made her way back into the store, where she disappeared…

An old man with silver-grey hair and eyes that mirrored the wisdom of centuries, came sleepily out of the backroom behind the counter.

"Is anyone here…!" He asked into the emptiness.

…

Chris walked through the city for hours. He tried to sort out the things he had just experienced, but he was not able to overcome his feelings of confusion and irritation.

He thought about what to do next. Sooner or later he had to go back to the sisters, wether he wanted to or not. There was no other way to get to Wyatt.

An uncertain feeling of concern overcame him suddenly. What if something happened to Wyatt or the sisters while they had no whitelighter? Was Leo replacing him? He wasn't sure. But regardless, before he could meet the Charmed Ones again he had to calm down, and get a clear head. That meant one night of proper sleep, at least!

The rest of the day went by in a daze. Chris was so lost in his thoughts that he had not noticed that it was getting darker and slightly cold.

He knew that he had to find a place to sleep for the night.

There was no way he would go to the club where he might have to face one of the charmed sisters, or worse Leo.

Once more Chris became aware of just how lonesome he was in this time. Everyone who would not have hesitated to give him a bed for the night was in these times at best a school kid or at worst not even born.

Was it true, could there be something inside of him like homesickness?

Homesickness for a time as cruel and twisted as his time, the dark future, was?

In a strange way there was. He belonged to his time if he was willing to admit it or not. There were lots of people he liked or even loved. He missed them deeply. What he would have given for at least one soul to not treat him as an annoying, suspected-to-be-evil little nuisance, who everybody could push around as much as they wanted.

At that moment, he'd have given the world for a comforting hand and a few encouraging words. But there was no-one.

No-one in this damned world cared the slightest bit about him. Even the sisters didn't care where their suspended whitelighter could be.

As night fell over San Francisco, Chris sat down on a bench at the park, right next to an angel statue. Chris found it appropriate in a way.

He neede to consider his options.

No money, no way to sleep at the club, no friends - great! Half a year back here and you are as low as you can get.´ Chris was really down in the dumps.

He closed his eyes, just for a short while, fighting back the tears that were starting to roll down his cheeks.

Chris didn't really recognize that he slowly drifted into sleep.

Some faint voice from far away told him the potion…….´ But it was already too late. The cold hands of his nightmares had a firm grip on him.

There was no way out…….

TBC...


	4. Chapter 4: Hitting the ground

Disclaimer: NO! I don't own them (what a shame)! But they are playing for me anyways (sticks out tongue!)

A/N: 29.6.2007 Another chapter revised by Rachel, yay!!!

* * *

Chapter four: Hitting the ground

_His existence was one big scream._

_He could not see anymore, nor hear or feel anything – just scream. _

_The scream was in him and he was in the scream._

_He was the scream._

_Suddenly it was over._

_Chris found himself lying on the cold steel-floor of Wyatt's high security cell. _

_One hand shielding his still bleeding chest, Chris tried to stand up instantly._

_He was pushed back hard by his laughing brother._

"_You have empathic powers, my dear brother, what an amazing surprise. I had loved to see how long you would hold out, but with all your screaming around, there is no way for a nice twosome conversation. So I decided to block you out!" Wyatt said with a derisive grin, now totally the evil despot Chris had learned to fear._

_Chris lay panting heavily on the floor, desperately trying to find some sort of strategy._

_There was none._

_His head was completely and utterly empty, like an exhausted well._

_So he looked at the ceiling, trying to ignore his brother and trying to fight back the immense pain that was spreading through his maltreated body._

"_Nah, brother! No cheeky comments or new evil-tyrant names? I'm disappointed! __Doesn't matter, the reason my demons have brought you here is one simple question. And my advice for you is that your answer should be yes."_

_Chris knew what was to come…."Will you join me?"_

_He remained silent._

"_Ah, we are stubborn again today! __I think I will grant you some more time for reflection."_

_Chris turned his head and glanced up reproachfully at Wyatt. His anguished look said I'm dying here, and you give a damn!´ but that would never pass his lips. _

_'Damn it Christopher, your stubbornness will kill you one day!´ Wyatt thought, but said:_

_"Don't think I'll heal you now! Let us see your pain as punishment for your disobedience. Who knows - it may even help you to find your voice again._

_Take it as a lesson for life, little brother, and you´d better have an answer when I return…!"_

_The unspoken threat hung heavy in the room. _

_Chris could tell despite the calm mask his brother put on, inside he was boiling with rage. The game he played with his brother was extremely dangerous, as he knew out of hard-bought experience. But now, to know how to push the red button at his brother's temper-control was the last weapon to fight for at least a bit of his dignity._

_Wyatt left and the steel door closed with a hard obtuse thud behind him._

_Chris curled up to a ball, like he had done under his blankets as a small boy, to hide from the "monster" under his bed._

_The difference was that this monster was awfully real. _

_There was no blanket in the whole world that would hide him from his brother!_

_The hours went by and Chris didn't know how long he still could survive in this cell without any healing. _

_One thing he knew for sure. Wyatt was willing to go to the edge – like always. He would feel when he was going to die, and only then come and heal him. Of course not without enjoying his superiority. But not this time, Chris swore by all that was holy to him._

_Whatever Wyatt would do to him, he would not back off, he thought with the braveness of the desperate._

_As Wyatt returned Chris was half on his way into the dark comfort of unconsciousness._

_With his healing, Wyatt ripped him away from his last way to escape – the death._

_Chris didn´t want to die, but living as a slave of Wyatt's insane totalitarian ideology was not a suitable alternative - ever. _

_He tried to regain as much power out of Wyatt's healing as he could, without letting his brother know what he did. He would need every ounce of power that he could summon up, for whatever would come next._

_Wyatt had finished._

_Carefully Chris sat up, with his back on the wall, eying Wyatt with fierce anger through the strands of brown hair that fell onto his pale face._

"_So have you reconsidered an answer for me? __Sure you have….Oh, let me guess!" Wyatt said almost amused._

_Chris remained silent, panting heavily. His brother knew he would never join him at all._

_Wyatt's face softened for a moment, and it was, as if Chris could see the old Wyatt, his caring brother, gaining the upper-hand._

"_I don't want to do this to you Chris! You stubborn mule of a brother. But you can't run around destroying everything I have built up for us!" _

_Chris still remained quiet._

_Soon Wyatt's patience was lost by the blank silence of the boy._

_He beckoned over two demons who had human appearance._

"_Do what has to be done," Wyatt said quietly "but don't kill him, you understand!"_

"_Yes mylord!" the demons answered in unison._

_Wyatt turned to leave the room, as the demons chained Chris to the wall._

"_You want an answer?" Chris spoke up surprisingly "Here you get it!"_

_Wyatt turned around to Chris, staring at him from the door frame._

"_NO!_

_No! I will not betray everything our mother lived for! And_

_No! I won't bury my humanity for a powerdrunken heartless murderer._

_No! As much as I loved my brother, I can't find him anymore!_

_No, Wyatt I won't join you. Not now, not tomorrow – never ever!_

_NO!"_

_With his last words the room exploded. Tons of steel and the rubble of what seemed to be half of the building crashed down onto the two demons and Chris. Wyatt was dashed out of the room by the blast wave._

_Black silence._

…

_Chris opened his eyes, but everything remained black. Was he dead? No, being dead would not hurt like this, he thought with a pain-racked face._

_He was still here, wherever "here" at the moment happened to be._

_Was this him? Had his anger caused that blast? He knew he had done it before today_

_- Or yesterday? _

_The difference was that the last time he _wanted_ to do this, but this time? _

_Chris was shell-shocked. _

_Carefully he tried to move. There was not much space around him and his legs seemed to be stuck underneath something heavy._

_A sudden movement was going through the rubble. Chris heard muffled voices. _

_Was someone coming to save him?_

"_Find him!" Chris instantly identified Wyatt's upset voice, and buried his fond hope of freedom beyond the ruins. There was only one thing he could do now._

_Hastily he spoke out a cloaking spell._

_Now, without Wyatt sensing him, they would never find him. Not in a million years, he thought grimly._

_Finally he laid his head down and did the one thing that had waited a long time to be done._

_Christopher Perry Halliwell cried._

_He cried about the loss of his mother, the loss of the whole damn world, and he cried about himself, for the first time._

_The boy felt a strange kind of liberation, doing this._

…

_+Why do you awfully stupid bum cloak yourself, right when we come in to find you!?+ _

_A voice broke telepathically into his mind. This was not Wyatt!_

_This was… the resistance!_

_Chris spirits revived again. There was rescue nearby. With all his will he sent out a telepathic tracking signal trough the cloak for his friends._

_He laid his head down and waited anxiously, as his world once again faded._

…

"_Come on Chris, wake up kid! I didn't blow my way right into Wyatt's central building to save you, just to loose you now. No way!"_

_A warm feeling spread through the semi conscious young whitelighter. _

_He was saved! _

_He was save, and everything else didn't matter at the moment._

_TBC…_


	5. Chapter 5: Getting up again

Disclaimer: They don't belong to me. They don't belong to me. They don't belong to me. They don't belong to me. They don't belong to me. They don't belong to me. They don't belong to me. They don't belong to me…………………….

OK, OK I will never again say that they belong to me, so can you please stop making me write lines, because it retards the beginning of chapter five. I swear to be good. OK?

added on 8.8.2007 A/N: Finally revised - thanks, Rachel!

* * *

**Chapter five: Getting up again**

_He was safe…!_

It seemed to take an eternity for him to become aware that someone was shaking him softly.

"Hey kid, wake up!" Chris remained still and hoped whoever was shaking him would leave him alone. He was safe!

With full weight the reality suddenly crashed in.

He was in the past.

He was without his friends of the Resistance, and he was in a park - at night – alone.

Maybe not as alone as he wanted to be right now.

//Great idea Chris, sleeping in a park! You should write a book "Christopher Halliwell: 50 ways to kill yourself while you are sleeping. Chapter one: Sleeping on top of a bridge. Chapter two: Sleeping in a lonesome park……" You should be really lucky that you are still alive// he told to himself.

"He doesn't react Max, first he trembles madly and now…" Chris was shaken again, "…nothing! Do you think we should call for an ambulance?" Chris heard the voice of a young woman talking to someone.

"Just give him some time" he heard the 'Max' voice grumble, "and get a step behind me, maybe he's drunk, or worse."

"I don't believe that. I mean look at him, he's almost a boy, and he's definitely not looking as if he belongs here."

"Your word in God's ear, Carry! This wouldn't be the first time you get yourself into trouble."

Chris lay there, half asleep with his eyes closed, and was thankful for the defending words the 'Carry' voice had spoken. He was unwilling to cause the woman any trouble, so he opened his eyes slowly. The boy was blinded by the garish beams of a flashlight, which shone right into his eyes. Chris shielded his eyes with his left hand.

"OK, OK I'm awake, could you please take away the light, or we will need the ambulance in the end because of my sore eyes," he said with an insecure glare at the two shapes loming above him in the dark.

"Hey welcome back, kid!" the women said, her tones friendly.

"What the hell are you doing here outside in the cold?" she asked kneeling down besides him. The woman was straight, Chris thought.

"What's your name?" she pressed, when he didn't respond. "I'm Carry, and the big grouch up-there is Max."

"I'm Chris", he decided to reveal,albeit a little reluctantly.

"Trouble at home?" Max asked.

"Don't wanna talk about it," was Chris´ plain answer.

"But you _can't_ stay here for the night, kid! If the police come around you'll find yourself in a cell faster than blinking!"

"OK, I'll be on my way in a second." Chris hastened to assure whilst jumping up.

Chris felt uncomfortable at the thought of getting caught by the police. He had no identity card or anything. Hell, he din't even have an identity in this time!

"Wait, we can help you!" Carry said, holding him by his shoulders. "Max and me, we are street-workers. Our organization runs a community night shelter nearby this park. If you want to, you can have a bed there for the night."

"Not so fast, Carry", Max said. He came face to face near Chris´, and shone once more into his eyes.

"OK", he said after a while, no smell of alcohol and he seems not to be drugged, but be aware, that I'll be watching you!"

"Great Max, our job is to help kids, not to treat them like criminals or scare them to death!

So, Chris, what would you think about a sandwich, some warm tea and a bed for the night?" Carry asked whilst laying a comforting hand on his arm.

Chris was torn between the wish to confide in the two strangers, and the wish to simply run away. Could that be true? Someone being nice to him without any debts, even without any questions? He was suspicious.

The questions would come, he knew they would! But anyway, he'd have at least the choice to go if he would not like it, or their questions became to much.

"Ok", Chris said in reliance of his instincts once more.

He stood up once again to follow the pair.

"Don't you have a bag or something?" Carry asked wondering. "...anything?"

"Nothing" Chris shrugged.

"Oh kid, I really think you don't belong here!" Max mumbled, smiling for the first time.

Walking through the streets, Chris eyed the street-workers intensely. They both wore visible identifying tags of the community social systems, so he hoped he would not end up in a base-court or something, beaten and robbed. But then again, what exactly could they steal? He really owned _nothing_ now.

Max was a tall Afro-American around forty. Chris sensed that his powerfully build stature and grumpy manner only covered a warm and soft-hearted inner self.

Carry, he guesstimated at twenty-something. She was a small, energetic person, with a lot of enthusiasm, as Chris knew by now. Her dark blond hair was tamed in a ponytail, and her sparkling eyes looked at Chris cheerfully. While Carry paid attention to Chris, Max took care of their security. He eyed the surroundings carefully without leaving Chris out of his regard…

TBC…


	6. Chapter 6: Concealment

Disclaimer: Don´t own them, but they are going to get thrown away by their owners. So maybe soon...?

* * *

Chapter six: Concealment

Walking down the deserted roads they reached the shelter.

It was really anything special, but Chris reminded himself: Warm, dry, and away from the streets, which were, in this time, luckily not ruled by demons.

Compared to the Resistance hideouts, this was _luxury_.

The shelter consisted mainly of two rooms. The first, smaller one, was furnished with metal benches and tables. It conduced as a refectory. The second one must have been the dormitory, as Chris surmised out of a short glance into the dimly lit hall. There were some small side rooms too, which were labeled as beeing an office, storeroom and bathroom, in big, colourful, in some-ways _unfitting_ letters.

'Carry!' Chris thought, inwardly grinning.

"So here we go with the sandwiches, tea will take a few minutes," Carry said, placing a plate with a little "mountain" of different sandwiches before Chris. She must have guessed how long he'd gone without eating.

"Ok, make yourself comfortable", she said, and Chris began to eat without any attempt at conversation.

Soon the silence became everything but comforting, but Carry waited patiently.

Minutes were ticking by till Chris could no longer sustain the silence.

„I never realized how hungry I actually was," Chris said.

Meanwhile Max brought a pot of steaming hot tea and some cups, before he disappeared into the office again.

'Okay,' Carry thought, 'the ice is broken, so let's see if we can get something out of the kid that could be useful to help him.'

She really didn't know Chris.

He was acquainted with all the ropes, every one of her little talking tricks recoiled on his built-up protective-wall.

And so it came to be that by the time he was going to sleep, the boy knew half the life of Carry, while she only knew that he was called Chris.

Max allocated Chris a bed in the big dormitory, in which bed was lined up by bed. Most of them were occupied. He got a bed near the door, so he did not disturb the already sleeping people.

'Feels like home,' Chris thought as he dropped fully clothed on his bed. It appeared strange to Max, but the boy must have had his reasons. So he wished him good night and closed the door silently.

The air in the room was stuffy, and Chris could hear snores in various pitches.

The first thing he did was pull out the vial from beneath his shirt. In no way would he forget the potion for the second time that night. He eyed the contents of the little vial hopefully. After shaking it providently, he took the first drop of the sleep potion. Thereupon he took a second one, just to be sure, and curled up underneath the scratchy rug. Chris wanted to think some things over before drifting into sleep, but it was as if someone had pushed the off switch. One second he was there, and the next…

…_three year old Chris was in the kitchen with his mom. _

"_Mom, what will we do for dinner today?", he asked, whilst he attempted to tie up his little apron by himself with the utmost concentration, complete with a protruding tongue. _

_Piper smiled as she looked at her youngest._

"_Here comes my little chef," she said kneeling down to help her son with the apron. _

"_Will you become a cook like mommy?" she asked teasing. _

_The boy knitted his brows. _

"_Hey, what's up Peanut, what are you worried about?" _

"_I don't want to disappoint you!" Chris´ light eyes clouded._

"_You could never disappoint me sweetie, so what's up?" _

"_Would you be upset if...if I'd like to become a Whitelighter like daddy?" he asked wary. _

_Piper laughed. "Of course not. I think you would be a wonderful whitelighter. __Shall I tell you something?…You could be my Whitelighter till you are grown up and have your full powers?"_

"_But Wyatt will laugh at me. He always says I will never be a Whitelighter with only orbing and telekinesis," Chris said sadly. _

"_You know what? You will be my secret Whitelighter! The greatest Whitelighter any witch ever had!" Piper said, while lifting the small boy high up in the air. His smile lit up the whole room again._

_Suddenly, loud screams filled the manor. Leo came into the hall, wearing an obviously strained smile, six year old Wyatt fidgeting under his arm. He asked "A little help here, honey!"_

"_No, darling, the elder thing was your stupid idea, so you will handle the consequences!" Piper said with her most bewitching smile._

_Wyatt, meanwhile, screamed at the top of his lungs getting into a full grown flush of anger. "I won't go with you Up There, no way. It's _boring_! The whole time they lecture me or investigate what powers I have! I'll become gaga Up There. Please, Dad, let me stay here; I want to play with Chris. Or he can come with me Up There, please!"_

"_You know the elders wouldn't let me," Leo said in a honey-sweet elder voice, which could only hide half of his annoyance. "You _know_ that your special powers need particular attention…!" And with that, father and son orbed away. _

_Piper's smile widened as she thought how Wyatt would stage hell Up There in the elders"heaven". _

_But this was fair punishment for the elder's worst and most stupid idea ever: Special training for the Twice Blessed. _

_Wyatt was, at the moment first and foremost a playful little boy, who didn't give a damn about any prophecies. And in Pipers not so humble opinion, things should stay that way, at least for the next few years._

_Chris stood in the doorframe looking with wide, green eyes that took more in than his parents would have thought possible, at such a young age. _

_He stared thoughtfully at the place where his brother and father had stood seconds before. _

_Most of the time, he enjoyed it, when his brother was Up There, because it meant having their shared room all to himself, meaning he could play with all of Wyatt's favourite toy, and if Wyatt stayed overnight or longer… well Chris could sleep in his dad's bed, by his mom's side whenever he felt alone at night._

_You could say Chris enjoyed the extra time with his Mom much more than Wyatt did with their father. _

_But every time Wyatt returned home, he was more than happy to have his brother and best friend back. _

_Without Wyatt, his life simply wasn't the same. And - not to be forgotten - being the only target of their dearest aunties "love attacks" could be very hard sometimes. He really hoped that he would never have to miss his brother for longer then a few days._

_When Wyatt came back, he was usually upset and told Chris in secret how much he hated, that they thought he was 'special' and h__ow his prophesied 'special fate' served only to make him feel sick._

_He had to stay Up There, had to endure endless speeches from the elders and was put through rigorous training for his powers till finally, at the end of the day, he'd simply collapse with exhaustion. _

_Apart from that, his schoolmates looked at him like some alienated freak when he returned to school. And he'd have to catch up on everything he'd missed in afternoon lessons, which made him 'special' once more._

_Chris realized that, even if he subtracted that Wyatt surely acted the big shot in front of his little brother by bloating the facts, he had, from little Chris' point of view, a horrible life of loneliness and unwanted duties. _

_Chris felt ashamed and guilty that he enjoyed the extra time with his mom so much, while at the same time his brother seemed to be suffering._

_There was one thing his young, clever mind learned from his brothers situation: Never be too special! __And having his powers developed like Wyatt's would mean just that. _

_Horrible times Up There, away from his mommy and aunties and all his friends from nursery school? No way! He swore to himself that he would _never_ become that special at all, no matter what it would cost him!_

_Chris felt soft, caring arms embrace him from behind. He leaned on his mommy taking in all her warmth. "Why so pensive, sweetie?" Piper asked, stroking his cheek tenderly._

"_No reason!" Chris answered while he still seemed to be miles away "But mom…?"_

"_What?"_

"_I think I would rather become a cook, if it's possible!"_

"_Anything is possible, Peanut, Anything you want to …!"_

Chris drifted out of the dream with the smiling face of his mom still in his mind. Her soft words resounded in his ears …_Anything is possible, Peanut, Anything…!_

He felt so warm, so comforted……he wanted that dream to last forever. If he remembered his situation…if life was like that, he'd rather stay in his dreams…

Half asleep he grabbed the vial and got ready for another peaceful dream.

This time he wanted the big thing, even without a screaming Wyatt. For that he took three drops…

…

_He felt like he was embedded into a soft cloud, floating within the big, light nothingness. Around him, vapours of sparkling dreams were passing by. When such a vapour came in touch with Chris he could snatch up passing images of his past…_

… _six year old Christopher right before his first day at school…everyone was there for a bombastic family breakfast…even his dad…_

"_Hold that!" Too late, it was already slipping away!_

…_first grader Chris doing homework… faithfully, the little boy painted C A T into his exercise book, then returned to his original edition of "Peter Pan"… D O G, he painted… first years stuff was so boring…he'd been able to read and write since he was three…learned it secretly along with his brother, but this gave him time for better things…back to "Peter Pan"…proudly, his mum eyed his exercise book…"Well done Chris!"…both were __smiling…she didn't know, and it was good that way…never be too special…_

…_playing orb and seek with Wyatt and Aunt Paige. Wyatt helped Chris to find their aunt by using his sensing powers. They both shared a guffaw as they saw Paige's mock-pout. "You two cheat", she said before joining in with the boys' infectous laughter…_

… _snuggling with mum…Chris never felt so safe and comfortable in his whole life again…_

…_the first own bike…light blue and silver shining…little Chris always felt like he could fly, when he raced down the sidewalk…_

…_Wyatt and Chris laying in the garden, looking into the clouds, inventing their fabulous Whitelighter future…_

…_family picnic…_

…_martial arts training with Phoebe…_

_Wait I hated this…Ok not really!…_

…_running with his track team…just running…the world is nothing…just running…_

…_Chris and Victor at one of their great cooking-happenings…laughter and chattering…total chaos in the kitchen…_

…_Bianca…!… warm smooth skin…soft lips…first kiss…_

He awoke with a beaming smile from ear to ear.

"Good morning, sleepyhead!" Carry greeted him as he shuffled drowsily out of the dormitory.

Chris felt that he had never slept so good in the last…maybe five years.

Carry immediately fell for the boy's charm again. His tousled hair and sleepy eyes gave him the perfect impression of an adorable little boy.

"Where is everyone?" Chris murmured wondering.

"Its eleven a.m.´, and the shelter closes at nine. We decided to let you sleep in, after you had such a rough night," Carry declared looking over her coffee pot.

"That's an absolute exception, mister!" Max added.

"Good morning to you too, Max!" Chris mumbled.

"Coffee?" a young woman Chris didn't know asked. He nodded.

"Morning-morose, mh?" she asked amused. "OK, have your coffee and relax. By the way, I'm Lucy." Chris nodded again.

"And as for you two: your shift ended two hours ago, you have seen he's up and sound, so you can go home. NOW!" Lucy added with an amused grin.

"I think first we will have a cup of coffee with our mister mysterious here, before we go," Max said.

"So what have you planned to do for today?" Max asked hopefully.

"I will go and talk to my family," Chris sighed after a moments contemplation, partly to delight Carry and Max, but largely because it was actually his true intention. There was no reason to defer the confrontation any longer than neccessary.

After finishing his coffee, he said goodbye to the three, and walked out into the bright sunshine. The street workers looked thoughtful after the boy.

Soon after Chris had left the shelter, Lucy came laughing out of the office with a form in her hand. "You can _not _be serious, Carry!"

The only entries filled in at the form were in the space for first-name: Chris, and a cross at gender: male.

Lucy was close to roll around the floor laughing. She had to hold her sides to speak on:

"Nosy, I'll–drive-you-up–the-wall–with-my-questions-Carry's interrogation skills _failed._ That I can experience that, in my _old age_!," Lucy said beaming from ear to ear, and Max and at least Carry too, started to laugh with her…

TBC...


	7. Chapter 7: Truth or dare

**Disclaimer:** Oh yeah! Once there was a time when charmed still made sense, when we loved that they owned them and made such a nice sixth season (even If we fanfictioneers would have done it better, by the way!), and adult Chris and Wyatt were not replaced by strange characters. ( You know who I mean! ). So now I wished they were mine. We would go back in time together and change all the trash the writers have done… 

But its just a dream and **I don't own them.**

* * *

**Chapter seven: Truth or dare?**

Chris decided to take a walk in a park, before orbing to the manor. The sisters would be anyway at work at this time of day. Maybe he could meet them all at lunchtime? But first he had to think about what to tell the charmed ones. How much truth could they abide? And the better question: How much could he abide? He was not sure. Right as he decided to sit down on a bench, Chris felt himself being pulled away. He knew this feeling. Someone summoned him!

Seconds after, he found himself in the attic of the manor. Chris couldn't believe what they had done! He was shocked about the sisters.

"What are you doing? Don't you think about personal gain! "He shouted angry. Not quite the opening he had intended.

Piper, Phoebe and Paige advanced on Chris who instantly backed away till he was stopped by the opposite wall. He looked like a dear in the headlights. Piper had no eyes for the lost appearance of the young whitelighter.

"You have discussed half of the night with Leo, haven't you? You sat around talking and arguing, while my sweet little darling was without any of you." She scolded. Piper sounded at this moment so much like his mom, that Chris instantly felt like being eight again, right before the discovery of his "mischief of the day."

"If you don't listen to our callings… we'll we have to become a bit more convincing to have you talking to us! You can hardly call that personal gain!" Paige ended his initially try to change the subject for once and for all.

"What? What are you talking about? No one called me the last two days!" Chris returned upset. "I mean not after Leo suspended me from being your whitelighter!" he added shy.

"He did what?" the sisters called out.

"Suspended me!" Chris confirmed barely audible.

"Oh Leo, if… If I ever get my hands on you, I swear by…" But Piper was interspersed.

"You mean that he did not inform you?" a wide eyed Chris asked aroused, as the realization finally set in.

"We haven't seen him since he left to search for you. " Phoebe told him.

Anyone has successfully cut the connection between me and my charges. Maybe the elders did?´ Chris thought, all his anger about the summoning blown over in a second.

The sisters sent Chris hostile looks. Suddenly realization about the situation gushed in.Piper stood there dissolved in tears, and the tension in the room seemed to crackle like a high-voltage electric cable.

"Something happened!" Chris stated. "Is Wyatt OK?"

"Not your merit!" Paige growled.

Piper only needed one spark to trigger of a disaster.

Unfortunately Chris was the spark alive!

"Don't play the fool to us, mister. This is entirely your fault. You distracted Leo, and I bet behind the whole scenes, there is none other than you although. Spill it out! What have you and your demon chum-buddies done to my husband? And how could you dare to attack my son. Spill it or I swear you will wish to never become born."

"This is definitely possible at the moment!" Chris mumbled.

Aloud he said: "I did nothing to Wyatt or Leo! Phoebe please, tell them what happened in this night, did it give you the impression it was some sort of a plan?"

"I'm not sure…"Phoebe said confused.

The boy became more and more desperate. How could he prove his innocence? He tried to make an approach by saying: "The most important thing is that we find Leo at the moment. I will try to declare everything to you afterwards."

"I don't believe you anymore!" Piper said with a dangerous glance in her eyes.

"The one way or another, today we will get the truth out of you, and make sure, that we never have to see your sorry ass again! Paige, the crystals!" But before Paige could close the crystal-cage around him, Chris had orbed away.

What did you say yesterday …The low as you can get…? This is definitely the newest all- time low.´ Leo lost, Wyatt attacked by some demon that might be the one, who was going to turn him, and his mom and his aunts on the warpath to blot him out! Right in the middle of his thoughts, he was again pulled away without any chance to react. Damn, you should have blocked them immediately!´Chris called in mind, getting angry about his remissness.

He landed once again at the manor crashing hard on his splinted arm. "As I thought Tia, no way of sparing" he said to himself, his face drawn with pain. This time he had really gotten into deep shit. The girls had summoned him up again - now right into the middle of the laid out crystals, that formed instantly an insuperable cage of crystal beams around him.

"You thought it would be so easy to escape, huh?" Suddenly Chris knew of whom Wyatt had inherited his ability to scare you to death with just one look.

Piper was furious. "So let's convince him to overcome his future consequences paranoia!"

Phoebe was still confused. She didn't know why, but this all felt so wrong, that she couldn't stand it anymore. "Stop it Piper ", she said fully resolved.

"WHAT!" Piper shrieked turning that fast, that Phoebe jumped two steps back.

"I mean give him a chance, maybe he tells us what happened, and what we want to know further." Phoebe tried now carefully.

"Give him a chance, give him a chance! I'm done with giving this lying little brat a chance. Done, done, done!"

"I think Phoebe's right; violence should be our last possibility. It would make us not better than any common demon. So let's think about something more clever and less brute." Paige helped her sister.

Chris looked at her gratefully. But Paige was not less angry than her sisters about Chris. His glance bugged her. "This means _not_, that I would give you any kind of a chance. You will talk, buddy. Now! And I'll make sure that this time we'll hear the truth, only the truth. If your answers are not satisfying, well then it's time to try it Pipers way. "Paige added, blowing away Chris gratefulness. "Are we at one?" Paige asked walking over to the book of shadows.

Phoebe was glad. There was no way she wanted to hurt Chris, not after what she had seen in the fragments of his dreams. Piper was pacing before the cage impatiently and looked not quite pleased, but nodded.

"Ok, let's see… truth spell…truth spell…Mmh." Paige muttered, while flipping trough the pages without success.

"OK, I think I can do one on my own. But don't laugh, it will be very spontaneous."

_To the greater good we came to beg_

_The twice-blesseds safety is under attack_

_Make this defendant tell the truth_

_In any circumstances_

_Lying or cheating in every way_

_Shall have painful consequences_

Piper was frightening satisfied with the spell. The three sisters spoke the spell in unison and a red glow surrounded Chris before disappearing within him.

This would not become easy for him. Chris was glad that he had a good sleep last night. So his mind was wide awake.

"So let's see. A simple one for the beginning: So what's your real name?" Paige asked. "Christopher Perry" he answered truthfully. No one asked about his last name, and therefore - nothing happened.

"Is there everything you have to do with Leo's disappearance or the attacks on my baby?" Piper asked, still in angry protecting lion-mother mode. "Honestly no!" Again nothing happened. Chris began to hug the slight hope, that he would make it out unhurt

"Did you ever want to harm Wyatt?" Paige's question hit him unprepared. "No!" he answered instinctively. A red hurting shock-wave flooded through his body and he sank onto the floor trying not to cry out loud. "There we go, the spell works." Said Piper cold. No one who intended to harm her baby earned her pity. But why was her stomach turning by the sight of the boys aches? She wanted to be angry, but something inside her wanted to hug the boy and soothe his pains. She brushed the feeling aside "Stop trying to be the mommy for everyone!" She scolded herself.

As Chris regained his breath again he tried to explain: "I mean, I would never harm the toddler. If I wanted to, he would have been dead a long time ago…" "The spell told us otherwise!" Paige interrupted. "That's because I wanted to hurt the Wyatt in my time." Chris told in a small miserable voice. He was not proud of his feelings against his big brother. But he'd made him feel this way.

"Why? Are you and he enemies? Did he attack some of your demon friends?" Phoebe asked silly. "Stop that demon-friends crap!" Chris replied through clenched teeth. He began to get angry. That was not good…not good at all…!

He took a deep breath and tried to stay calm. It was time for some painful truths. "The evil, because of we all suffer in the future is not trying to harm Wyatt." There was a long pause while Chris regained all his strength to confess the unavoidable.

"Wyatt _is_ the evil!"

Chris looked into the sisters eyes while the information sank in.

"Why isn't he in pain, shouldn't he be in pain right now?" Phoebe whispered through the tensed silence. "Because it's true!" Paige reasoned with wide eyes.

This moment the demons choose to assault again. Immediately the pandemonium erupted. The sisters fought, with all their powers and tried to reach Wyatt, who was sitting, safely protected by his force-field, in his playpen on the opposite side of the attic. He was out of everyone's reach behind the demon rows.

"Set me free!" Chris screamed helpless out of the cage. He couldn't bare his state of shiftlessness.

Apart from that, he was although in severe danger. The cage prevented using his powers through the beams, but the powers from outside could invade. And deadly sure they did. Chris had trouble to defend himself from getting shot, by ducking away. Several times he got painfully shocked by the cages beams. At least he only huddled in one nook of the cage, holding his arms protectively around his head, and hoping for his luck. Phoebe noticed his awkward predicament, and decided to release him, by kicking away one of the crystals.

Chris respired. He began to help the sisters with all his powers, what brought him a questioning look of Piper. "I told you" he stated short, while throwing a demon, who attacked Piper from behind, telekinetic into the next wall, where she blew him up. "Thanks" she smiled. Chris wanted to retort something cheeky, but his comment got stuck in his throat. He and the sisters stared with bated breath at Wyatt. Right in front of the toddler stood …

Leo!

"Come on buddy; let's get you out of here. Daddy will take you up there, Ok." After some moments of thinking, Wyatt lowered his shield and reached out his little arms for his daddy. He beamed happily, while some demons encircled father and son.

"No!" Chris cried, fighting his way through the whole room by flicking some demons into the walls. As he reached the two, he became aware, that he was completely unarmed. "I need a weapon, anything, NOW!" he screamed desperately hoping to awake the sisters out of their growing stiffness of shock. Paige reacted first. She kicked an athame square the room right before Chris feet as the demons once again approached. While Leo lifted Wyatt up into his arms, Chris dived for the athame. His hand clutched the weapon tightly, and he was back on his feet in only seconds. Quickly he reached his fathers side again. In an upcoming movement Chris stabbed the athame into……

"Leo!" the sisters cried out.

Chris, by the time, snatched Wyatt and dropped himself and the toddler on the floor. As "Leo" burst up in flames, the young whitelighter protected the baby with his own body.

After a while the remaining demons realized the hopeless situation and disappeared. Chris rose weakly, holding the crying Wyatt safely in a firm grip. He walked swaying to Piper and put the toddler into her longing arms. Instantly Wyatt hushed.

An ashamed Piper eyed the wounded whitelighter with concern.

"I know you hate me, but I hope you believe me now. I would never do you or Wyatt any harm!" Chris almost whispered, infinite sadness in his eyes.

With that, he orbed away, leaving a shocked Piper with her family behind...

* * *

...TBC 


	8. Chapter 8: Never in his life

**Disclaimer:** This is a Mothers day disclaimer (so be warned!)

Author +_rips away pretty flower petals of poor innocent daisies_: I own them…I own them not…I own them…I own them not...I…YEAH!...OWN THEM! I OWN THEM! And don't you dare to question what a brave little daisy let its life for! How could you.

_+gets hit repeatedly with a huge posy (Ouch!)+_

**OK, OK…I don't own them…live with it!**

* * *

**Chapter eight: Never in his live **

Unknowingly his orbs had brought him back to the shelter. Chris collapsed in the alley right behind it, knocking over some old dirty dustbins.

For a moment that felt like eternity to him, he simply lay there. Not aware of the dirt and the awful stench around him, Chris remained lying on the ground and looked into the small part of the sky he could see between the close set houses. He had no strength left. Not to keep on struggling with his family, not to carry on the fight to fulfil his mission - not even the strength to stand up.

He simply remained laying down there, while trying to stop his vision from spinning around.

Leo was right…Leo was right…Leo was right…´ the thought began to spin in his mind according to the vision of his surroundings… but LEO WAS NOT RIGHT!´ Chris tried enraged to stop himself.

His upcoming anger gave him at least the power to get up into a sitting position.

As he eyed his wounds carefully, a big wave of nausea overcame the boy instantly.

His whole left side was covered with nasty burns and cuts, where the full impact of the shapeshifters explosion, had hit him.

Chris sat there in the dirt without the slightest glance what to do.

This time fate made the final decision…

Carry and Max came running around the corner. They were on their way home, as the noise had alarmed them.

Carry took in a sharp breath by the sight of Chris.

"Is this the way you look, when you have a talk with your family?" She asked, while Max helped Chris carefully up.

"No reason for you to worry!" Chris said, while trying to get away.

"Stop kid! We will take you to a hospital - now!" Max growled grabbing Chris shoulder. He regretted it instantly as the boy let out a painful gasp.

"No hospital, please! I'll be fine!"

Carry looked worried at the injured boy. She felt that Max was right. These injuries needed urgently medical treatment. But she felt although that the stubborn boy would never change his mind that easy. Maybe they had a chance to convince him. If they gave in his wishes, it would be at least someone there to look after him. She dreaded that anyone would have to knock this kid out to get him near a hospital against his will.

"Ok, first come in with us, and then we will see."

…

Chris lay back onto the soft mattress in the dark, empty dormitory. He would sleep a while, have some nice dreams and everything would be better when he awoke. The young whitelighter pulled out the vial under his shirt and was shocked once more. In the middle of the vial was small opened up crack.

It was empty!

The flown out potion was sucked by his shirt. It must have happened as he had dived for the athame, Chris thought.

So much for the sleep.´ There was no way he could handle the breaking-in side effects in his state. But at least he could rest…

His mind began to wander around… he had never felt that bad before, never since he was four.

Suddenly he found himself dragged into a flashback…

… _little Chris sat at the first steps of the stairway, gazing with a faraway look into the hallway. He didn't even react, as his mom passed by._

"_Something wrong, peanut?" she asked._

"_Nothing!" The boy said and managed to put a bright smile on his face._

_That really concerned her. Piper knew her youngest son…!_

_She raised an eyebrow and simply said "Chris!" in a way only mothers can do, and immediately her little son's facade collapsed._

"_My had aches mommy, and now…" He broke off his sentence._

"_And now you wait for your daddy to come home!" His mum finished for him._

_He nodded weary._

"_OK, honey, come with me into the kitchen. I'll give you some cold cloth for your head, and then we will try to reach your dad." With that Piper lifted her son up into her arms._

_She got frightened by the heat that the little body emissed. "My god, you are burning up!"_

"_Feels more like freezing. " Chris said with a bashfully little smile._

_Instantly Piper put Chris onto the couch and wrapped him into a blanket._

_Then she headed back into the kitchen, to get a cold cloth for her sons burning forehead._

"_LEO!" Piper called with a glance at the ceiling._

_In less then a second blue white orbs filled the kitchen._

"_Good that you are here Leo, Chris has a high fever out of nowhere, I think he is seriously sick. He has never ever been sick in his whole life Leo. Not even a cold."_

"_Oh god", said Leo not thinking over his reaction, "not him too!" Pipers jaw dropped._

"_What..What..?" she stammered, while the two stepped hastily into the living room._

_Leo carefully examined his now sleeping son. His heeling glow only did little effect on the boy._

"_As I thought, he's got most probably the virus!" Leo said. _

"_What do you mean? What virus? Don't play the inapproachable Doctor. This is our son we are talking about!"_

"_There is a virus going on." First it only attacked elders, but it mutated quickly and suddenly although whitelighters were affected, it was nasty and protracted, but did no severe harm to the most, we thought it was because…you know… they are already dead…the virus became more and more aggressive by the time… "_

_Leo was not sure if he should tell Piper the whole truth._

"_With Chris as a witch-whitelighter the virus climbs a whole new stage. But we should have a few blood tests to be sure."_

_Leo's eyes became watery, but he had to stay strong for his family. _

"_My god Piper. I thought we had enclosed it upthere and… and I thought the boys could not get it anyway because they are half witches. I stayed upthere since I had contact to some infected just in case I could carry it._

_Where in all the world should Chris get infected at all?"_

"_Wyatt, Chris and their secret little adventures. I'd bet they were upthere sometimes, just because it was forbidden to go there alone." Piper told her husband more worried than angry._

"_Piper, the sorry as I am, I have to take him with me. We have installed a quarantine unit upthere."_

"_Only over my dead body!" Piper said determined._

"_This is possibly going to happen, if I don't separate you and Christopher. You have to think about Wyatt, Paige and Phoebe, and her baby too. _

_We have no clue, how the virus could affect witches. Now Chris got infected, it's dangerous for all of you!" _

_Piper was shocked. _

"_So please be reasonable. I have to take Chris. They can help him upthere. By god, I will not let my son die!"_

_Piper's heart broke just by the thought of leaving her little peanut to the elders care._

_Even if she knew that it was best for everyone._

"_You will stay with him!" She demanded of her husband. _

_His answer did not contribute to calm her._

"_I'll be there as much as I can. But I'm although the head of the healing-research-team. They need my medical knowledge to find a cure."_

"_You said he could die, but before you didn't mention that it is that bad!" Leo was now honest to his wife; there was no way to extenuate the case. "Yes it is that bad, a lot of whitelighters, like me, have in fact reached immunity to the illness, but to be honest, some even died on the virus. We have more souls that are recycled at the moment then ever."_

_Piper sat at the couch, holding her son tight in her arms, while whispering comforting words. She gave a damn about the danger. She would keep her youngest._

_Leo knew that Piper could never make this decision. How could she give away their baby? There was the chance she would never see him again._

"_I'm sorry" Leo whispered, his pent-up tears now flooding his sad blue eyes._

_With that, he took his frail little son out of his mother's arms and orbed away. _

"_Leo, don't you dare!", Piper screamed "Bring him back, You can't do that, you cant…"a sobbing, heartbroken Piper collapsed in front of the couch hitting the cushions helpless._

_Piper was so angry, even if she knew that what Leo did was the best for Chris and for her. She had never overbeared a slow tearful farewell from her son, let alone it would have meant a much bigger load for Chris. Leo would take good care of her son, she tried to reassure herself..._

…

_Chris lay on his bed in the big white room between the other sick. His small body not even filled half of the mattress. _

_He felt awful. His head throbbed, his breathing was although painful, and worst of all he needed his mommy. Chris called for her, but there was no response._

_From time to time an elder or whitelighter came across and healed him as far as possible._

_No one had the time to talk much to the anxious little boy. They were nice and smiled, but everyone was busy and not used to take care of a kid uphere. _

…

_Days went by and the research-team had not found a cure yet. The ones that had survived the illness had reached their immunity out of their own strength. _

_Chris didn't know, if he had strength anymore. _

_His dad visited him from time to time, but most of the time he felt so alone. And abandoned. Everyone had explained him, why he could not see his family. But that was adult logic - nothing to pacify a little child. _

_Chris got worse from day to day and at some point Leo even thought his youngest would die. He sat now the most time beside his bed, holding Chris´ hand and trying to comfort him. Even if the neglect of his other duties gnawed at his conscience, for once in his life he tried to be the best father he could be for his little son._

_He thought sadly that Chris had to stand on the confines of death before his father_

_remembered where his true duties had to be settled._

_He prayed intensely that his little boy would not die, and that he found the strength and time to change the things for better. _

_Suddenly in the evening Chris´ fever increased dramatically and Leo held his son, afraid he would never hold him again. He had lived through a lot in his life: war, death and all kind of destruction you can imagine, but this was the worst thing. _

_It was simply unbearable to hold his dying son. _

_Leo healed his son the whole night till his small body didn't respond to his healing powers anymore. Some elders came along to tell Leo the obvious and help him and Chris to get through what they simply called "the last phase". Piper would have blown up all of them for their comment, Leo thought._

_But strong little Chris had inherited the strength and stubbornness of his mother: _

_He survived the crisis._

_Leo took his youngest gently in his arms, as his son opened his eyes again. _

_For the first time tears ran freely over the fathers face. It were tears of relief that washed away all the worries of the past weeks._

_Chris smiled at the sight of his father._

"_I'm going to be fine daddy" he whispered and a small shaking hand wiped away the tears of the sobbing but yet smiling man._

_Leo never told Piper how bad the state of her baby was at sometime. He feared her reaction. Piper would have found a way to get upthere, if she knew her little boy was suffering, maybe even dying. So he simply didn't tell her. _

_Now he was so happy to have good news for her. Chris had overcome the illness and would return home within a week. Piper lay crying in Leo's arms. He would come back, alive and convalesced. She instantly hoped that her son would forgive her for letting him alone for in the end over two month._

_He must be furious about his parent's cruelty._

_But Chris was not. _

_A small, pale and thin, and, to Pipers great fright, very silent boy, was orbed with his father into the Halliwell manor at the end of the week. No big hello, no laughing, not even angry screaming. He just silently embraced his mom as if he would never let her go. _

_Piper's heart broke once more._

_In the following days Chris remained that way. He seemingly enjoyed the welcome party the sisters had organized; he played with Wyatt, when his brother asked him to, but most of the time he just sat quiet near by someone of his family loving their closeness._

_They all were worried about the little ones change, but decided, that Chris would need time to acclimate again. _

…

_On a dark and rainy October afternoon Chris sat on the kitchen counter top, watching his mother silently as she was standing in front of the stove, preparing the dinner._

"_Mom its autumn now." Chris said thoughtfully. _

„_Yes peanut it is, you've been away a really long time. I missed you so much…we missed you so much."_

"_I mean… you said Aunt Phoebe would get the baby when its autumn." _

_Piper's wooden spoon dropped out of her hand. She didn't dare to turn around and face her son. How could she conduct a conversation with a not even five year old boy about that! Wasn't there enough his little soul had to work up. She wished he had forgotten about that. But Chris never forgot anything - ever!_

"_Mom", he asked insecure "where is the baby?"_

_Piper turned with pent up tears to Chris, taking him into her arms_

"_Peanut…the baby…its gone!" she said swallowing her tears._

"_Mommy is it my fault, that… I mean…I… have I infected the baby?" his eyes pleaded desperately for denial._

"_No Chris, don't go there. This is definitely not your fault." Piper took a step back holding the shoulders of her youngest while looking firm into his tearful light-green eyes, " But why?" he asked despaired._

"_No one is guilty of that. It's just the way things happen._

_The ways of the greater good are sometimes incomprehensible"._

"_Did they let us down?" the small voice asked. _

_Piper really didn't know how to answer _this _question. Her little boy had spoken out loud what she not even dared to think. The only thing she could do now was to hold her little angel even tighter, and they both hugged each other for an eternity._

…

…_one year later…_

_Leo stood in the living room, Piper and Paige by his side. A visibly once again pregnant Phoebe settled on the couch._

"_I'm afraid, that after Chris has not developed new powers in over a year, it's almost certain, that he will not be able to reach more. I think the virus has destroyed too much of his magical side…" They all remained silent, everyone trying to cope with the situation in their own way._

_Little Chris sat sadly smiling in the neighbour room, eavesdropping his parents. He knew better than that, but he never would let his parents know. He would never become too special. No one would part him from his family again, not because of the stupid powers he felt growing stronger inside him day by day…_

_**TBC…**_


	9. Chapter 9: I wouldn´t dream of it 1

**Disclaimer:**

Not mine? Are they homeless now since today the last episode goes on air. (hats down everyone, and silence fore a minute of grieving.)

I would let them in ( they could use their clean-up spell a bit. Hehehe! Piper would cook for me, and Chris...he would... OK lets stop this here or I will have to upgrade the rating to "M" just because of the disclaimer.

So everything stays the same:

**They are unfortunately not mine!**

* * *

**Chapter nine: I wouldn't dream of it! (Part one)**

Chris was ripped out of his thoughts as he heard turmoil in the refectory.

Muffled voices sounded through the closed dormitory door…

"I give a damn about what the boy wants. Have you seen these burns? They will get infected! I would be happy to get the one who did this to him in my hands."

With that Max stormed into the office, Carry on his heels. "Max what are you doing?"

"I call the ambulance and then contact the police. "

"No!" Chris cried as he heard the voices from the office. Instantly he orbed away.

Chris didn't really care where to orb, as long as there was no one around. He ended up in a giant abandoned fabric hall, where he slowly slid down with his back at the cool, red brick-wall. The hall was empty. Every sound echoed under the roof truss, which was visible trough, the almost complete broken down first floor. No one had been here for decades. Some doves had made the old building to their comfortable home, but the appearance of the young whitelighter in blue-white orbs caused them to leave through the wide holes in the roof. The bottom of the hall was covered with bricks, and dry leaves, all mixed up with dust and pieces of broken glass of the once beautiful, high bowindows. The whole scenery had something of a hoary ruin of a cathedral.

Chris was tired.

He could not longer keep his eyes open. This was all just so unfair. Why was it always him who was let down from everyone? The boy was in pain and felt fever rising into his head.

No one would get him out of here, NO ONE! He would stay here and wait for everything to end. They didn't trust him – alright. So don't. It will go to cost everyone their sorry lives.

Maybe he although had done it and saved Wyatt with his last fight. Who knows, and at the moment it didn't matter to him. Everyday he had risked his life for his family and the whole damned world. And what did he get for it – more pain, hatred and mistrust. He was done with that.

Chris crouched up into a little ball and waited for the sleep to come and get him.

He didn't care anymore for the nightmares.

They could not be worse then the reality…

… "_Victor!" Sixteen year old Christopher shook his grandfather gently. Then more violently as he showed no reaction. " GRANDPA!" the kid screamed heartbroken as it became more and more clear, that the old man, who was lying battered in his blood before him, would never open up his eyes again. Desperately the boy reached out to find a pulse on his grandfather's neck – there was none._

_He sat there - sat there motionless holding his grandfather. No sound escaped his throat, the same as no tears left his glassy eyes. _

_While rocking his grandpa gently, Chris eyes wandered unsteady through the room. _

_He said once again good bye._

_Good bye to a loved person that had given him support and love since he had lost his mum._

_Good bye to the place that became the closest place to a home throughout the last two years._

_And finally to the last bit of normal life he had known._

_His eyes fixed on some painting on the faraway opposite wall of the room. He tried to focus his eyes. There were letters._

_Chris stared in shock as he could finally read the letters painted to the wall. _

_THEY PAY!_

_Was the simple message that told the desperate young whitelighter everything._

_Wyatt was furious!_

_He was angry about his denial to join him and most of all about the fact that the resistance had managed to liberate the boy. Although they had destroyed his headquarter within the action, despite all his magical and non magical security measures. They had undermined HIS powers. _

_And now they had to pay._

_But wait, what did he say "THEY" _

"_Oh my god!" Chris cried. His brother was out for his whole family, that Chris was now sure of._

_He would destroy everything he had left._

_Chris would not let this happen, no way. The thoughts began to race in his mind._

_Who would be next? Paige? Phoebe? He himself? No, Chris was out of the list. Wyatt wanted to torment him, so that he would at least give in._

_So Paige or Phoebe? He could only guess. _

_Phoebe lived after his mother was murdered withdrawn at magic school. She had almost lost her mind at the grieve over her big sisters death. It was the second sister she had lost and she was determined to spend the rest of her life with the search for inner peace through meditation. She only sparely saw her youngest nephew. He remembered her to much on the things, that had happened on that terrible day two years ago, let alone that his frames resembled his mothers in an almost painful way. Chris was deeply hurt as his aunt at that time didn't take over the care for her nephews. But she wasn't even able to take care of her own daughter anymore. The girl lived now with her father._

_The same thing with Paige. She had moved into Richards's house and bound her powers permanently. She still tried to forget, that she ever was a Charmed-one. She was always worried about Chris. Whenever he needed anything - Paige was there. _

_But none of his aunts was able to fill out the painful gap; the loss of his mother had left._

_Now both women would be easy prey for Wyatt._

_Chris felt that he was never in such a big dilemma. A false decision could cost one of his aunt's lifes._

_Eventually he decided for Paige._

_Phoebe seemed to be relatively secure at magic school. There were so many witches, whitelighters and sometimes even an elder around, that Wyatt would hopefully take the school at his last strike – the big one!_

_Chris stroked the cheek of his dead grandfather one last time, covered him affectionately with a blanket and then started running._

_He ran for his aunt's life. If he could only find a bike or something. But there was nothing useful around - only the shimmering heat and the asphalt. Everything seemed to melt away around him._

_Chris knew that he would not hold out his speed for long in this heat. So he decided to take the sewer-tunnel-system instead of this burning hell. _

_He used to know almost every tunnel and tube since he had decided to stay within the resistance permanently. It was not easy to find his place there with the name "Halliwell". _

_Well, he had friends there and had helped them wherever he could, but it was a whole different thing to live and hide with them. His everyday life had become an eternal struggle for acceptance. But he had to endure this; he had to stay hidden to protect his family. _

_As Chris now saw: Staying away from them had not helped in any way._

_The coolness and half-darkness of the tunnels he was now in, helped him to move faster. He turned left and reached some metal ladder embedded in the brickwork above him._

_It led him to a heavy drain cover. Chris lifted it carefully and checked out his surroundings._

_No one!_

_This was strange. On his whole way to Paige he hadn't even met one demon. It was as if Wyatt wanted, that he reached his aim?_

_He climbed out of the hole and recognized satisfied that he was only a few hundred meter away from Richards house._

_The silence was lurid._

_Cautiously and extreme tensed he made his way down the street and entered the house._

_The same picture: No security measures._

_First he found Richard. He lay motionless at the hall-floor. Carefully Chris neared himself to the still form and sighed relieved as he found him to be unconscious but alive._

_Out of the living-room he heard dimmed sounds. Chris moved forward just far enough to have a small view into the room without to be seen._

_There was Paige sitting in one of the armchairs surrounded by two women. The older one stud relatively indifferent behind his aunt while the younger one paced before her. The young women, or rather girl, Chris thought, had now turned her back to him. Chris decided to take care of her first._

_He would take advantage of the surprise effect and hoped that Paige would give him her assistance._

_Once again his hopes and plans were destroyed…_

"_Ahh, I sense our guest has arrived that early! " The older women spoke up leaving her cold spectator part._

"_Come in and join our little gathering, Christopher", she said acidly sweet, while she put an athame against Paige's throat, threaten Chris silently._

_Paige seemed to be in some sort of trance. She was totally out of it._

_Why is she so defenceless? Chris thought as he slowly entered the room._

_Chris remained standing next to the door, his body still tensed and ready to assault or flee. He hadn't made a decision yet. _

_The older witch however had come to a decision…_

"_So, Bianca" she spoke to the girl in a now icy voice "time for your first killing!"_

_The eyes of the girl widened._

_She had expected to kill someone who would be a threat to anyone, someone who gave her a good fight. _

_That was what she was trained for-_

_What she was born for!_

_She had expected to fight a charmed one-_

_Not THAT._

_The women before her had no powers and showed absolutely no resistance._

"_That's your job!" she tried to convince herself. _

_She looked with sad honey-brown eyes at the boy, who had to be part of her first assault. _

_The cruel master had expressly ordered that the kid had to watch._

_At this moment Chris tried to make his move. He jumped forward, but in no time the older woman had shimmered behind him and he felt himself yanked back and an athame to be pressed against his throat now._

_Why did Paige not move? He thought desperately._

"_Do it NOW!" the elder women ordered._

"_Please no!" was all Chris was able to whisper._

_He cursed his stupid helplessness. The young whitelighter was still weak because he never took the time to recover from the incident in Wyatt's high security cell, and in his current state of shock the rest of his damned powers seemed not to obey him._

_The girl watched the young whitelighter._

_He was so desperate so…_

"_No!" she said suddenly._

"_What do you mean with "No"?" the other women asked seemingly not as cool as she was the whole time before,_

"_I won't kill someone that innocent and defenceless!"_

"_Do it now! She will die anyways! If you won't do it – I will! Remember the consequences!" she shouted angry._

_But the girl stayed firm and Chris couldn't help himself but to admire the strong willed pretty girl._

_The kid saw the chance to break out of the stranglehold as he felt the women loosen the pressure of the athame on his throat, distracted by the heated argument._

_He started to struggle out of the women's grip while moving his body away from the sharp blade._

_This only earned him a slight cut into the side of his neck. He instantly stopped his struggle as the pain shot through him, and he felt blood running down his collarbone._

"_Stop it now or ill cut deeper", he heard the witches evil whispers breathed into his ear._

_The whole scenery seemed to be frozen for a moment. No one moved or even blinked._

_It became obvious that the girl would not change her mind. _

"_Damn it Bianca that means back into train camp for a really loooong time…or worse!" she fumed._

_The older witch hit the now again squirming Chris hard with her elbow into his stomach, which made him tumble over in pain._

"_Hold him! "She ordered angry and pushed the boy over into the girl's grip that was surprisingly strong._

"_I'm sorry, I tried" Bianca whispered to the trembling boy, while she twisted his left arm behind his back. Chris felt his air supply almost stopping as Bianca put her right arm tight around his throat. She held him fighting at the edge of unconsciousness. While she pressed him down with her whole bodyweight._

_The boy tried to scream and wind as the older women emotionless ended his aunt's life._

_Turning with a blank face, she grabbed Bianca's arm roughly._

_Chris felt the girls grip disappear and fell hard to the ground as the two women shimmered away._

_The boy remained on the ground gasping for air. He suppressed his minds demand to simply break down._

_He knew he had to stay strong to protect his other aunt, but she was so far away…_

…

TBC...


	10. Chapter 9II: I wouldnt dream 2

**Disclaimer:**

"Chris…! CHRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS!"

…

_Damn since this boy got his happy end in the series finals, he's hiding. ´_

"Chris you have to come out and finish acting in this story till the end….

…

No there is no freedom of strike in the fanfiction-world….

…

Yes I'm absolutely sure of that!...

…

No you can NOT build up a resistance against the author!...

…

I will simply delete it on my computer!...

…

And you know what: They'll kill **ME**not you, if I'm not going to finish this story…!"

"…You what…? OK, OK I tell them…! Yes I promise…"

"**Chris and his whole family are not mine**, I will not force them to do magical or non-magical chores, like cleaning, cooking or other things for me…

And yes, Chris will get his happy end….(_Whispers: Maybe…! Mwuhahahahahahah!)"_

* * *

**Chapter nine / part two:**

…

_In the end Chris didn't know exactly how he had managed to get to his aim. His body must have sort of switched on the auto pilot._

_He found himself staring at the smoking ruins of what once was magic school. To leave no doubt of the whereabouts of their aunt, Wyatt had draped her dead body onto the steps of the destroyed main entrance._

_Wyatt's revenge was_ _accomplished. _

_They had destroyed his headquarter, so he annihilated their precious school, the last bastion of good magic down here._

_And Chris was now all alone._

_Everyone he cared for was wiped out by his own brother._

_He felt that his legs weren't willing to carry his weight anymore._

_Why had Wyatt not taken him although? Chris thought as he broke down on his knees._

_Why had he to go through the worst torment of the whole family – _

_To be the survivor!_

_The boy crawled to his dead aunt. _

_He was simply heartbroken by the sight of Phoebes still body. He caressed her face only to find it stare and cold. She was truly and irretrievable dead. As much as his mind tried to deny the facts, there would have been no way to save her. But still he told himself that he could have run faster, or that he could have decided to save Phoebe first. Slowly he got lost in his own world of self-doubt and agony._

_Phoebe however looked as if she found at least the peace she was searching for such a long time._

_Chris leaned onto the stump of one of the heavy door columns and closed his eyes._

_He didn't want to stay here anymore, he didn't want to be anywhere anymore – there was no place on earth where he belonged now. He had not the strength to stand up in any way the words implied._

_So he remained and tried to merge with the cold stone at his back._

_He wanted to become a stone._

_Not feeling._

_Not thinking._

_Not remembering._

_Never feeling any pain again!_

_Oh how he wished for that!_

_A half faced stone-lion accompanied the boy in his grief…_

…

A glaringly white light filled the hall and enveloped the young whitelighter who lay trembling on the dirty ground. The light slowly flow together and formed finally the body of a young woman.

Tia sat down next to the sleeping kid and stroked his hair gently.

"Its time to wake up, Christopher" she said softly.

Chris mumbled in his sleep, hardly able to find his way back to reality.

My god, Tia thought, his heart is racing and beating like a hammer. How long could the poor kid endure this level of stress?

Chris was bathed in cold sweat and horribly trembling. She really didn't know how long his already wounded body would survive this ordeal.

Was there someone calling him?

Slowly Chris opened his eyes and tried to clear his vision.

As he was eventually able to focus he saw Tia sitting besides him, gently putting a hand onto his unscathed shoulder.

Maybe the last unwounded place to be found on his maltreated body, he thought.

OK, just for the check-up: Sarcasm - working again. So you must be vaguely on the mend.´

Tia waited for him to be complete awake.

"Hey.,.", she said with eyebrows knitted in concern.

"…what the hell are you doing here?"

"Nothing" Chris said quiet.

"Its lousy cold inhere and definitely not the place you should be right now!" She said while Chris stared now into nothingness.

"Shouldn't you be at home, with your family?" This time she'd hit the point.

"I have no family – not now, and maybe never will! I've only got "them" and there is no way I will do anything for them again."

"The best would be I would never be conceived…would spare me a life full of pain and them the annoyance of my presence."

Tia knew much more of the things that had happened, then Chris would ever imagine, so she could empathize with the way the young whitelighter felt right now.

She wasn't very proud of what she had to do next. But it was all for the bigger plan.

There was no way she could demand less of the boy, even if she knew he was on the edge of his physical and mental capacitances.

"Why are you here" Chris said, not aware of Tia's former appearance.

"And how did you find me anyways?"

"There are ways to always find you, Christopher!" Tia replied cryptically.

At any other time this would have threaten the boy deeply, but however it didn't now.

In contrary, he felt a warm sensation of safety when Tia was near him.

This was all so damn twisted and strange…

Tia didn't know how she should start her request. She eventually took the straight way.

"You know I'm here for a reason!"

Yeah, of cause you are´, Chris thought. Why should anyone just be here because of him?

"As hard as this may sound for you now, as I see you lost the way…"

Oh god, he looked that desperate and despondent, what gave her the right to go on, even if she knew this was the right thing to do…

"I've come to demand my favour from you!"

Chris stared at her in disbelieve.

There he was - on the absolute deep point of his life (OK, he stated to himself, he would never argue about the deep points in life again. Fate would always proof to him that there ever was a "lower than low"...so he had to cut that!) He was hurt, desperate… maybe even dying, and this barmy, self-seeking, stupid…ahhh whatever, talked about favours. The only favour he could honour at the moment was to redeem the face of the world of his presence.

"Remember you promised me that favour…The thing I want from you is to not give up now!"

Anger rose in Chris chest. He gasped in pain as he tried to sit up. Like always, his anger was a good boost to him. He pushed the pain aside again and made his body obide him once more.

As he'd managed to halfway sit up straight, he glared into Tia's eyes.

"SO WHAT?" he said with a tensed and laboured voice that was now as cold as ice. There were some things he HAD learned from his brother!

"I know the reason, why you are here Chris…

It's maybe the most important thing for the whole mankind at the moment. Under no circumstances I'm willing to let you give up just now. You've come so far, Chris! Don't throw everything away!"

Chris was puzzled. "But how do you…why?" he stammered.

"Believe me, I know!" Tia stated simply.

"…maybe its over, maybe I vanquished the demon that was going to turn Wyatt!"

Chris felt his anger fade. It left only sadness.

"You can take it from me, its not over yet! To be honest, I think the biggest fight for the soul of your brother is yet to come. So I beg you to stay strong, cause you're our last and only hope!"

"I can't" he whispered, sharing an anguished look with her.

"You will!" Tia said firm, because she simply had to. In truth, all she wanted now was to take the boy into her arms, and tell him, that everything would be alright.

But that wasn't her part…

…it was a mother's part!

"Chris", she said calmly. She had to say this now, even If she knew that it was not entitled to her to do so.

"Why don't you tell your family who you really are? It would lighten things so much for you, if you would share your burden. Don't you think so?"

Chris became even more quiet and withdrawn, if that was even possible. He seemed suddenly so tiny and frail to Tia…

"They will hate me only more. See what happened to me after I told them, that their precious twice-blessed diaper-prince will turn to be the source of all evil in my future."

"But it wasn't them, who hurt you, wasn't it!"

"No, not actually, but they didn't care anyways. Or can you see any concerned family around me? And this time I didn't cloak myself!"

"So you want them to find you, to take care of you, right?"

"…maybe - in somways…but they will never believe me…if I tell them…I'll loose them again…they'll never want to see me around, not even as their whitelighter.

I can't cope with loosing them for the second time!"

"I can only give you a piece of advice, the decision lies in your own hands. But don't underestimate them. Think about how they were during your childhood, they really loved you. And they are not so far away from that now. I think they will feel it, if they get a little nudge into the right direction."

Tia knew she had gone far over her set boarders, and she felt it was worth it, but now she had to go back to business.

"So will you keep your promise? Will you still try to fulfil your mission?"

"I'll try" the young whitelighter promised, as he felt his eyes slowly closing again. He fought hard to stay awake. He had so many questions, so many things he wanted to say to Tia, but exhaustion once again took over his agitated mind.

Tia lowered the sleeping boy carefully to the ground. How she wished she could do more for him, to ease his pain and take away his unbearable burden.

But this was not her part, she thought as she vanished again…

…

TBC…


	11. Chapter 10: Entering the lions den

**Disclaimer:**

So I've decided to write these silly disclaimers by myself from now on.

Can't be too difficult.

Just for you to know…Me and my family belong to us self, we are free Americans…

"**EhmEhm…!"**

All right, so we are Fiction and belong to some damn TV-producers and writers…hell knows who that is by now!

That's modern days slavery! Someone needs to HELP us.

Found a "Free the Halliwells- organisation" or something like that!

I'll have to talk with Wyatt about that. What for he is the source if he isn't even allowed to vanquish some tiny tiny writers or TV-bosses. GO WYATT!

But one thing I can say for sure:

**WE DON'T BELONG TO THAT dragonsflyfree – Thingy.**

Yes, that felt good.

"**Chris…"**

Yes?

"**SHUT UP!"**

* * *

**Chapter ten : Entering the lions den**

…Chris was once more in his dream world of painful memories…

…_Some part of him still refused to believe, that he was going to go there – willingly!_

_Wyatt had "invited" him_

_Yes, as wrong as it sounded to EVERYONE: Invited!_

_He was so confused and yet still so angry and hurt, that he had simply refused to go. But now he was here. Half a year after his own brother had slaughtered his family he sat at the big round table of the council of resistance, which youngest member he had become lately. A hard earned seat. _

_Some of the members mumbled silently around him, while he sat there -empty face and tensed jaw- and glanced into nothingness. This was a habit he had acquired lately. He didn't show his feelings to anyone anymore, and if he once had fully reached his goal there would be no feelings left that he would have to hide. There were anyway so few things left that were important to him, so why bother about damn feelings... He didn't care that the other members talked about him while he was still in the room. They surely thought he was totally out of it, or something._

"_Are you sure we should do this?" a silver-haired man around fifty asked his younger comrade-in-arms. "I think it's not right! The boy lost lately all his family. He's on the verge of sanity, and it's dishonest to use his condition for our matters now!"_

"_Look at him. He'll manage to get himself killed anyways, so why shouldn't we use it for our advantage" the younger one whispered with a grim face. "This is war. So why discuss the life of one single - by the way apparently happy to risk his life anyway – boy, if we can save thousands in return."_

"_You're totally immoral! I don't want to have to do anything with your insane plans. You planning this are not better than Wyatt, if you ask me."_

"_So your out of this! "The younger man stated angry._

"_I am, and you can bet that Ill talk some senses into the kid, before I leave!"_

_Chris smiled inwardly a sad smile. Did they really think he could not hear what they whispered? And truly- someone must be really stupid, for not to see how sick this plan, brought up by one of the resistance leaders, was. _

_As sick as Wyatt's offer._

_He had vowed free departure and that he would not harm him, if he joined his little meeting._

_This was a dirty trick, Chris mind screamed. He would finally kill his little brother, as the rest of the family._

_But his guts told him otherwise._

_In his insane and twisted ways, Wyatt was a honest man. He would never break his vow to him. Not to his brother._

_The resistance however saw in the "invitation" a chance to reconnoitre Wyatt's new headquarter. A way to get informations that could save thousands of innocent's lifes. So some of the council pleaded the young whitelighter to go._

_Chris own life was not worth much to him nowadays, so he didn't care much if something would happen to him._

_Harder to bear was that his heart refused to give up the tiny hope, that he could maybe reach his brother- the old Wyatt- inside of this monster he was going to face. He still couldn't wipe out the picture of the brother he once knew as a friendly caring boy._

_What he saw now he hated with all his guts._

"_So we are through with our planning?" The young, grim acting-chairman asked, and achieved common nods. Only the old chairman himself remained silent._

"_So everyone is dismissed." _

_After everyone left the room the old man took Chris aside._

"_Hey Christopher. I'm really concerned that you don't know what you're doing right now."_

_Chris once again retreated in his blank stare._

_The wise chairman put his hands fatherly onto the boy's shoulders_

"_Hey kid don't rush yourself headlong into disaster. You can't throw your life away like that. _

_I knew your mother, boy, and I don't think she would agree with what you plan to do right now. By god, you are so young she would still be able to give you some house arrest."_

"_I think it's not your place to judge my decisions. Ill do what has to be done to stop my brother. If it's the last thing I do – so it be."_

"_Have you anyone familiar to talk about your plans? Who takes care of you since your family died?" He had hit a sore point, but Chris would never admit this._

"_You'll not talk me out of this, forget it!"_

"_You're someway just as crazy as your brother, boy! But if you ever need someone to talk to, to pour out your heart- ill be there!" And then the man did something that the young whitelighter left speechless. He hugged the boy sincerely and concerned._

"_Take care of yourself!" The old man said as he left a deranged young man._

…

_He was here._

_Wyatt had personally shimmered him into his new headquarter, and as far as Chris could see, his brother was…exited?_

_Chris stud there thunderstruck with clenched fists, while his brother acted like once, when he had shown him one of his newest toys. _

_Chris felt the urge to put one of his fists immediately into Wyatt's face. But he had to stay calm, he was here for purpose._

_How could Wyatt be so calm, so relaxed, so… happy? He had killed their family not six month ago, apart from the facts that he terrorized and destroyed the whole city. And his territory was expanding day by day._

"_It's so great to have you here buddy. I'm eager to show you what I've created. Now as I've cleared out some of your "main distractions" I am sure you will be able to see all the progress and benefits my leadership brings for the magic world and the common mortals."_

_By the words "clearing out some main distractions" Chris made a step forward, ready to lounge himself at… at this…this THING. If he had an athame, by god, he would have used it._

_Stay calm he heard Serena's voice in his mind. So the connection with the resistance was made. _

_Serena the resistances best telepath was now with him. She could see whatever he saw, hear whatever he heard or spoke, and unfortunately knew although what he thought. But Chris had trained to block out everyone from the things he wanted to keep inside._

"_Before we start, we have to make some security arrangements."_

_Chris tensed. There it was- the snag!_

"_Don't be so stressed brother, I will keep my promises. But Ill although have to take care, that you'll do no stupid things. So let's start with this." He said and put in a lightening speed motion an iron band around his little brothers wrist _

"_What's THAT!" the brown-haired asked bewildered. _

"_Naah, nothing! Don't worry, only security measures. We don't want you to get lost on our little meeting. With this little thing Ill always know where you are." Chris tried angry to orb the band away, but nothing happened. _

"_You forgot to mention, that it blocks my powers."_

"_Oh that, yeah right that's another effect. Keeps us out of the silly fighting thing, right!" Still Wyatt smiled that insane smile._

_+Serena are you there+ Chris called out mentally._

_+Right by your side kiddo+ He heard the answer in his head and sighed invisible. The band could not block out his connection, so the plan wasn't in danger._

"_Now to the second thing."_

"_Bianca!" Wyatt called out and a young woman shimmered in immediately. _

_Chris experienced eye knowledged by now that this girl was a phoenix. _

_For what the hell his brother needed an assassin right now?_

_Wait, this was not any phoenix, she was THAT phoenix, the one who had refused to kill his aunt. Chris had thought she would be long gone._

"_Ah I see you have recognized our young companion. Yes I know I should have killed her after disobeying me, but naah, she's simply too sweet. We're still not one in that ´killing-only-if-she-wants´ thing – funny for a phoenix, if you asked me- but after some training we've found some tasks that fit for her. So for the next time she will be your personal guard. I thought you would accept her rather than one of my other underlings."_

"_So you really think you and your demon-club need protection from me, even without my magic powers! " Chris asked sarcastic._

"_The other way around, my dear brother. She's there to protect YOU from my bunch of highly outraged demons. Don't you think they all know what you did to them? I think every single one would be happy to get killed by me, if they had in return the chance to cause you a painful death before that!"_

"_I see, so you've got them really under control oh-so-great-powerful-demon-leader!" Chris gave him a derisive grin._

_This was the first time Wyatt's grin derailed – and it should not be the last time…_

_TBC…_


	12. Chapter 10II: Entering the lions den 2

Beginning of the **Disclaimer**:

Chris: Ha, I knew it! They like my disclaimers MORE than your stinky story, dragonsflyfree!

**That may be the tide of public opinion. What do you think: Let's make this chapter only one big disclaimer without story? **

Chris: You are ridiculous!

But soon I'm so out of all this!

I've got first feedbacks about the "Free the Halliwells Organization". SO GREAT. If you want to be a founder member, contact Warriora (Oh she is so gonna to kill me for that!)

I hope in this chapter I get to hound good old Wyatt some more!

Wyatt: This is the last time you do the disclaimer! (Conjures a BIG fire ball!)

Chris: We will see! (Conjures an even BIGGER energy ball!)

**YOU TWO STOP THAT NOW! YOU ARE GOING TO TRASH MY COMPUTER!**

Both (pouting) : OK, OK!

**So all together now, what have you learned?**

Both (defeated) : **We don't belong to dragonsflyfree** and we promise not to set anymore computers on fire, because then the author needs to do a LOT more of overtime, to buy a new one, which results in "New-chapters-delay", and the authors wrath will be taken out on the main characters in this story – us!

**Good boys…!**

End of the Disclaimer! ( …Just for you Karone Evertree  )

* * *

Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret.  
**Ambrose Bierce**

****

* * *

**Chapter ten / part two:**

_As soon as Wyatt had worked up his usual calm composure again, he took back the lead, fully resolved to not let his brother get him out of balance again._

"_So lets first make sure of some basic rules here:_

_You will not talk in any insubordinate ways in front of my minions and underlings, or I'll have to punish you. I have a reputation to maintain. That can't allow any weaknesses, and you are no exception in this. So don't expect to be treated different in this measure."_

_Chris mouth opened for some naughty comment, but he was cut short by his brother, who kept on talking in a now much harder tone then before._

"_For the second part you will always obey to whatever I or Bianca will tell you, otherwise I can't guarantee for your security"_

"_and..." Chris started once again with no effort._

"…_AND the last: You will be given time to see and talk with me about everything my imperium encompasses. _

_After the appropriate time, you will decide if you join me, or if we part as enemies. How long that appropriate time will be will be caused by your behaviour and my opinion of to what extend you understood what I try to impart you…"_

"…_Which could range between tomorrow and eternity, if I got you right? " Chris snorted angry._

"_You permanently breaking my speeches will not be tolerated in future, so be warned, but yes your right. Everything depends on your willingness to cooperate."_

"_Great, that's what I understand in an "invitation for a meeting", just great. I would rather call it a deliberate act of taking hostage."_

"_It'll be what you make out of it, lil brother." Wyatt said, now smiling again._

"_So shall we start? Don't worry, we will find a toothbrush for you before bedtime, and Bianca has already prepared a room for you."_

"_Rather a cell, as I presume?"_

"_Hey, be patient lil one, one surprise after another, OK. Now ready for our sightseeing tour?"_

_+That's the fucking hell, why I'm here! So let's do some dirty little spy-work and then get out of here+ Chris thought and felt Serena grinning through their connection. He couldn't help but let a slight smile slip himself._

"_Ah, that's the right attitude, bro. A smile will lighten up our moods. So say hello to Bianca, and we'll go. I'll be back in a minute." Wyatt told and shimmered away._

_+And on with the nasty tricks+ Chris thought and felt more trapped then ever before._

_+You are so stupid! How could you ever agree to THAT+ He was once again overcome by the urge to run- to run and never stop, till he was far away from all this madness called his life._

_Only after some soft shaking he felt the hand that was put gently on his shoulder._

"_Hey, kid! You're OK?"_

"_Who are you calling a kid, eh? You can be barely older than I am myself._

"_Eighteen! You?"_

"_Seventeen."_

"_So I'm right, you are the kid here!"_

"_Ok granny, if you say so!" He countered smirking._

"_But by all manner of means it's leastways clear who is the babysitter, and who is…"_

"…_Ah, I see you've already made friends. " Wyatt said happily as he shimmered in again."_

"_Like hell are we friends! You should be happy, that we haven't already killed one another!"_

"_Oh, I will wait and look forward to that!" Wyatt answered with an evil glacial smile._

"_So let's go! Everyone fasten your seatbelts…" and with these words Wyatt took his brothers arms and shimmered him away._

_They ended in front of a nice little building which could have been taken straight out of a fairytale book about a happy family. It was painted in bright yellow, with white wooden shutters and and a neatly, well-kept lawn. A white picket fence surrounded the house._

_Dimmed laughter of children got through the half opened windows._

_Chris looked astonished- one eyebrow raised- at his brother. Was he kidding him?_

_+This is not the information we need. Your not in the headquarter anymore+ He heard Serena._

_+I know that, but what could I do, we have to wait and see what happens next. With some luck he will show me the headquarter anyways, but if I push him now, he will smell the rat. +_

_+O.K. Have it your way, you know him best, but don't get yourself endangered+ _

_+Good joke, Serena! This whole action is one hell of a danger+_

"_Why so introverted, lil bro? Are you not the slightest bit curious why I brought you here?"_

_Chris was ripped out of his internal communication and flinched only the slightest bit, but the movement didn't escape the watchful eyes of his brother._

_Now it was the older ones part to raise a brow._

"_What's wrong with you? You are a little absent today…Already making the first plan to flee my companionship?_

_Anyways, feel free to try it! I love to see Bianca in action, you know!"_

_+Could anyone wipe away that bloody grin of that face+Chris thought, but said:_

"_You have destroyed a lot of places – homes! – like these, didn't you! So what are you trying to prove me?"_

"_Just follow me."_

_They entered the house and moved trough the hall toward the children's noises._

_Carefully Wyatt opened a wooden door which was plastered with colourful kid's paintings. Chris started to eye some of the spare darker ones with big interest, but had no time to spend a second thought. _

_As they entered the room a flood of children poured onto his elder brother. They all clenched the evil source with one happy? – HAPPY! Cry: "Wyyyyaaaaaaaatt!"_

_The boys and girls laughed and clamoured all in total pell-mell. Everyone tried to get the blond mans attention first._

"_This is what I try to reach for all children, Chris! A carefree, happy childhood!" Wyatt choked out between his laughter._

_Chris got a painful stitch in the heart as he saw his brother lark around with these kids like the big brother he used to know from his childhood days._

_But there was more._

_Everything here seemed so surreal, so definitely wrong. _

_He just couldn't grab it right now…_

_The first thing he noticed, was that everyone here, adults the same as the children, wore the same enslaving wristband, that he was forced to wear now. Wyatt had even possessed the darned cheek to make the children's bands nice coloured as if they were some kind of tinselled finery. Such biting irony. Chris felt his temper rise. Not good…so not good!_

"_Blocking their powers! Overlook every step they take! Is that what you call "happy"? You made them slaves, Wyatt! Damit, you control them!"_

_Wyatt's features became darker and he shot him an angry glance._

"_NOT IN FRONT OF THE KIDS!" He growled and a sharp pain shot of the band through Chris´ entire body._

_The young whitelighter cringed and dropped to his knees. The whole room fell into silence._

_A little boy twitched at Wyatt's trouser leg: "Is the man in pain?" he asked with wide worried eyes._

"_Yes, he is" Wyatt said calm as he knelt down to the child._

"_Why?"_

_Wyatt looked the boy in the eyes and answered: "He was disobedient!"_

"_He was disobedient" the children whispered one to another and nodded with knowing looks._

_Chris couldn't believe what he saw. The children spend one last look and simply accepted what had happened. They went on playing without a second thought for the scenery or him._

_They knew what had happened here- were frighteningly accustomed to it. The thought made him shudder._

_Wyatt went on playing and laughing with the kids, as if nothing had happened._

_This all seemed now even more false, so faked, that Chris could throw up instantly._

_Bianca stud indifferent in the corner of the room with a blank stare, but Chris caught a peek of disgust on her face, as one of the children cried out elated: "Oh, I like you so much Wyatt, you are like a brother to me!"_

_Chris turned at the sight of these scenes. What did his brother perform here?_

_Bianca's face spoke indeed the truth – This was really disgusting._

_He for himself would not longer take part on this hideous spectacle his brother had set up. _

_He was about to leave the room, totally aware of the consequences his new disobedience would have, as a slight movement behind a couch at the corner of the room caught his eye. Instead of moving out, he followed the concealed motions._

_There, hidden under a blanket sat what appeared as one of the smaller children. Chris knelt down beside the now perfectly still blue bundle and lifted carefully one side of the blanket. To light came a little boy about four or five years. Chris got first sight of an unruly black mob of hair and anxious looking hazel eyes._

"_Hey there buddy, no need to worry about me!" The young whitelighter said, while he held out his hand to the child, which eyed him weary from under his blanket and not sure what to do._

"_Hey, are you alright? Should I go get your…ehm…teacher or something?"_

_Reluctantly the boy took Chris´ hand and led him back to where Wyatt stud, currently tickling two little girls._

_The boy looked angrily up to the man, reaching barely his hip in height, but his determined stare made them even._

"_I know you, mister." He stated, getting immediately the sources full attention._

"_You should so, little one" Wyatt smiled._

"_I know what you did to my mom and dad. You're an evil man, mister!"_

_Chris felt both, Wyatt and the boy ready to explode in anger. A situation he knew out of own experience well enough. _

_Quickly he brought himself between the boy and his brother._

"_End this Wyatt, NOW!"_

_His demand earned him another, not to his surprise larger, bolt of pain from the band around his wrist._

_+Damn Christopher, always the martyr+_

_+Serena…shut…up+ was all he managed to counter through his pain clouded mind._

_For Chris the little stunt was worth it._

_The boy had have time to withdraw and his fuming brother had taken out at least some of his wrath on him instead of the kid._

"_YOU!" He pointed at a young woman, who stud now shaking but protective before the boy" Remove this brat out of my sight and make sure that he'll get a higher dose of the potion next time." _

_The source became all of a sudden deadly calm._

_This was Wyatt's shiny new world, Chris thought sarcastically as he was roughly lifted to his feet and once more this day shimmered away into incertitude…_

TBC…


	13. Chapter 10III Entering the lions den 3

**Disclaimer: **

Chris: Mmmmmmmmmpf

Wyatt: Trying to say something little brother?

Chris: MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMPF!

Wyatt: Oh, are we a little speechless now? How sad!

Chris: +rolls his eyes+

Wyatt: Ahhh that's better.

So now (before my little sleeping spell on dragons wears of +sneers+)

Here's the official sources disclaimer:

THE WORLD IS MINE AND MINE ALONE TO THROW IT INTO DARKNESS AND DESPAIR! SO YIELD TO ME YOU TINY WORTHLESS READERS!

**WYATT!**

Wyatt: Fu..! Finally awoken!

**YOU WILL RELEASE YOUR BROTHER INSTANTLY! AND FREE HIM OF THAT STUPID GAG! OR I SWEAR YOU…**

Wyatt (+pouts+): But I don't wanna…It's that much fun..!

**I warn you mister! I've already got my finger on the delete key. What about Charmed without Wyatt from now on!**

Wyatt: OK, Ok! You're no fun today!

**Oh wait till I tell your mom!**

**Now can we at least go on and over with this…It isn't too hard, isn't it?**

**The longer you quarrel the longer it takes to get on with the story. So will you now do the disclaimer, before anyone stops reading?**

Both: (+shaking their heads in stubborn silence+)

**So it's my job today, however…**

**They don't belong to me! If they would, I would be able to teach them some manners right now.**

Both: (+stick out their tongues+)

**No comment! (+glares+)**

* * *

**Chapter ten / part three:**

_The arrival at the headquarter was not the smoothest. Wyatt had dropped Chris unceremoniously at the dining room with the order to stay there till he would return for dinner. Bianca was dismissed, so Chris was left alone. This could be a trap, but Chris was willing to at least make an attempt._

_+One step closer to our aim. I hope that we now get more to see++Chris stated all business to Serena. He wasn't willing to discuss what he'd seen and went through before. His feelings and thoughts were only his own._

_+When I'm back we should seriously discuss what to do about the "children-thing"++This would hopefully stop Serena's further questioning._

_Next thing Serena saw was Chris walking to the door. _

_+You are not seriously trying to go on an unallowed walk through the headquarter at bright daylight, don't you++She said stern._

_She got no answer and was relieved, as Chris found the only door locked. But she knew that Chris had opened many locked up doors with less then the here kindly supplied cutlery._

_Less than a minute later Chris was spying out of the now open door. The coast was clear for now. He had to get out of this tract of the building where as it seemed, mostly civil rooms were located. They needed the location of military evident parts of the complex, like security installations, the command central, or the cell blocks, anything that kind._

_As inconspicuous and naturally as possible, he walked down the deserted corridor. The guards would faster react to uncommon motions, then to some innocent looking and blatantly incautious teenager. This moment of irritation would hopefully made the decisive seconds between being shot and being able to flee when he was confronted with his brothers guards. _

_If Chris´ sensing and empath powers weren't hamstrung he would have sensed the danger which was building up behind him much earlier. The young whitelighter wasn't used to walk around without his powers, so he was shell shocked, that someone could have come this near him without being knowledged. As he slowly turned, two demons stud only a few meters away from him. He flicked instinctively his hands to send them into the nearest wall. The demons brought out a broad canine laughter as nothing happened. _

_"Shit!" the boy exclaimed as he sought safety in flight. He was only meters away as one of the demons flamed in before him. He was trapped and the assailants approached quickly. The demons exchanged glances, before the one behind Chris started to speak: "Should we kill him now, or first teach him a lesson – make him feel what our tribe's brothers felt as they killed them?" An evil and angry glance appeared in the eyes of the second demon, which resembled in contrary to his companion more to a wild animal then a human being. His grin widened, and bared a row of razor sharp fangs._

_Ice-cold showers ran down Chris spine, while the two demons came to a mute agreement. But they would not get him that easily. With or without powers, he was at least a Halliwell and would deliver them a hell of a fight._

_The next second the human looking demon lounged at him, to bury his athame into the boy's tensed body. Easily he disarmed the demon with one pinpoint powerful kick which made the demon fall back._

_With friendly greetings from my aunt Phoebe´, Chris thought. The whitelighters triumph was short cut as he recognized a deathlike grip of sharp claws slice his shoulders. He felt blood running down his back, and was only able to deliver some weak kicks as the now once again risen demon started to punch him with all his anger._

_No´, Chris thought, this will not end like this, not as long as I can keep my eyes open!´ With one desperate cry that echoed down the empty corridors, he ripped himself free. The power he had mobilized was almost more than human and took the aggressor, who held him, totally by surprise. The boy was free now but had paid his toll. Deep gashes ran over his shoulders and down his shoulder blades. In a lightning motion Chris tried to reach the extinguisher, which surely had remained at the wall from the buildings former human owner. Wyatt only laughed about such, in his opinion silly human inventions. Wincing from the excruciating pain the movement aroused in his back, he took the extinguisher out of its socket at one jerk._

_The demons not knowing what Chris held in his hands prepared for the impact of the strange weapon. _

_They were not prepared to be blinded by the white powder that shot out of the small hose and hit the human-looking demon right into the face. Chris turned immediately to the second demon as the beast jumped on top of him, knocking the boy down while his only weapon slit out of his hands and out of his reach. Chris head hit the ground hard. His vision started to blur. He could hear only the far away cries of the demon he got rid of as he felt sharp fangs embedding into his neck, ready to end his life._

_"Stupid, stupid kid..!" was the last thing he heard before his world went black…_

TBC…


	14. Chapter 10IV Entering the lions den 4

**Disclaimer:**

**There have been complaints about the length of my disclaimers. **

**(Really too long?)**

**So lets have a quick vote about that : Hands up, who wants the disclaimers dragons way?**

Wyatt's and Chris´ hands shoot up+

**So lets see there are one…two…and myself, three hands up.**

**(+whispers+) Well done Wyatt and Chris. I think you'll be in the story for some more time…**

**So now, as hard as it is for me to say: They don't …**

Wyatt and Chris slide through the background dancing and singing+

Both: We are family…lalala…we don't belong to dragonsflyfree…YEAH!

the brothers leave the room before the authors wrath can hit them+

**OK, as they said it, this two, most of the times (+glares after the boys+) talented and gorgeous young men don't belong to me. If you find them unoriented somewhere, please bring them back, because I strongly believe they must be temporarily insane.**

**+shouts after them+ There are pills to cure such things, you know!**

* * *

**Chapter ten / part four:**

"_My god, what have you done!" The human-looking demon had needed some time before he could see anything again. He found the young resistance fighter, who had obviously escaped Lord Wyatt's captivity, lying in a bloody mess in the middle of the floor. The boy took desperate laboured breaths, while clasping his hands tight around his neck. With no effort he tried to stop the bleeding of a nasty looking, gaping wound._

_The life of the desperate whitelighter began slowly to run through his hands._

"_Shit! Let's take the boy out of the way before someone notices. If we get caught, there will be hell to pay."_

_The two men dragged the injured into a nearby storage room, where they dropped him carelessly behind a pile of boxes._

_Chris started to panic as he became aware, that they were intended to leave him there to die. The growing panic only made his lack of oxygen worse by each second._

_He wasn't even able to scream for help._

"_Lets clean up the mess on the corridor", the demon couple laughed, obviously content with their solving of the problem. _

_Did everyone ever told lower level demons were stupid? Your right!_

_Pitch black darkness fell over the room as they switched of the light and locked the door._

_Chris tried to concentrate in getting enough air into his burning lungs. What concrete had been the reasons that he had taken over this crazy mission? Whatever it had been. it was definitely not worth the pain he was in right now…was it?_

_Slowly some screams got through the violent pain in his head._

_+CHRIS! My god Chris!"+_

_He had totally forgotten about Serena!_

_Chris fought the irresistible urge of his aching body to slip into comfortable unconsciousness._

_+Stay with me Chris! Come on! Don't give up now, you hear me+_

_Chris was simply to weak to answer, even if only in his mind,_

_+…tired…………………..hurts…………………………+was all he could bring out to Serena._

_If he could only call for his brother._

_+I'll try to reach him+Serena suggested+He will surly keep me from entering his mind but maybe I can install a uncertain impulse to instantly look out for his little brother. Just hold on, you hear me+_

_+…………………………+_

_+CHRIS! Answer me! You have to stay awake, OK+_

_+…………………………………………..try………………………………………+was the weak answer._

_Chris still balanced on the verge of unconsciousness. He didn't know if he could stay awake without Serena's constant voice inside his head. His body begun already to shut down…_

…_Not so far away, in one of Wyatt's conference rooms, the source of all evil had suddenly a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach._

_Where was his brother? Was he doing something stupid right this moment?_

_No way, he thought He had especially sent two of his minions to look after him. The two had the strict order to prevent the "captured high resistance leader"" from doing something stupid._

_Wyatt had decided to stall the flow of the news into the demon society, that his wayward little brother was in the headquarter._

_He didn't want to give the demons any chances._

_Captured resistance members – that was something strangely normal nowadays._

_For Wyatt's taste the believing of his minions regarding one certain stubborn green-eyed youth should stay that way._

_But somehow he had a real bad feeling. He had to check on his sibling. Right now! Without a comment the source left his conference and a couple of irritated high level demon leaders. He would deal with the pissed of reactions of them later on. And to be honest, what chances they had left as to deal with the bad moods of the all powerful lord Wyatt, no matter how much he annoyed them._

_As he neared the dining room, Wyatt's feeling grew stronger and stronger. Something was definitely not right. He found the door of the room standing open._

_No Chris, no minions!_

"_Shit!" he exclaimed. A short evil grin played around the corner of his mouth._

_Now the tiny little toy he had made his brother wear would come in handy. _

_The source closed his eyes and concentrated. He got the vibes of two lower demon powers in a corridor nearby. Missing part number one was found!_

_As he tried harder he was able to sense a faint whitelighter power that was, even amplified by the wristband, only barely palpable. The signal was so dim that he could not locate his brother properly._

_This could only mean his little brother was in trouble – in deep deadly trouble._

_Wyatt immediately shimmered to the source of the minions signals, that was clearly detectable._

_He found two demons in the best mood, which were walking grinning down the aisle._

_One glare of the source washed away their smiles._

_Wyatt had no time to waste._

"_Where is the boy?" he asked harshly._

"_The resistance fighter, my lord?"_

"_Yes, the resistance fighter. Don't you two strain my patience!" _

"_We took care of that problem, my lord." Said the beast-kind demon, which earned him a sharp biff into his side from his companions elbow._

_Wyatt just raised one eyebrow, which caused a shudder in his underlings. They knew now they were in deep troubles._

_If they had known by now, that the two had actually attacked the sources little brother, they would have known, that their lives were doomed to an untimely end._

_Oblivious to that fact they still tried to save the situation._

"_He was only an annoying little brat. Nothing for you to make your hands dirty with, my lord." The now obviously pale humankind demon told._

"_I don't think he had any useful information for you, mylord." The other added._

"_And with "**had**" you mean?" asked a now really enraged Wyatt. His anger seemed to heat the space around him at least a few degrees._

"_He…he…ehm……should be………ehm………"_

"_WHAT **should **he be**?"**_

"_Dddddead, my lord?" the demons stammered barely audible._

_Wyatt fumed in anger._

"_Take me to my brother!" he ordered._

_There! Now it was out. If the two were able to sink instantly into the ground, they would have gladly done._

_They had killed the sources brother. Of all the damn people in the whole world, of all the dirty little resistance members, that went through the cells of the headquarter every day, they had killed the one that would send the source over the edge_

_F..ck!_

_Reluctantly they pointed at a door at the far end of the corridor._

_Wyatt stormed in only to find it empty…_

TBC...


	15. Chapter 10V Entering the lions den 5

And now…damdamdamdam…weeeeeeeee proudly present…damdamdamdamdam…theeeeeeeeeeeeee… 

**DISCLAIMER:**

**Chris, would you please turn the heating off it's already about 40° C ( 104°F ) outside. You are tormenting me, so I can't work this way.**

Chris: You speaking about being tormented! Have you looked at your story lately!

So who's the one being tortured here?

By the way I'm just helping you to get in the right mood for the story…you know the heat wave you've invented and all the other crappy stuff.

I'm just helping! ( +winks innocently+)

**So that's enough…I'm going to write in the basement from now on. Maybe it inspires me for a nice little dungeon scene. Hah!**

Chris: Oh no!

**So now go and find your brother! We need to get over with the disclaimer or we all will get lynched by enraged disclaimer-haters!**

Chris: WYATT!

Wyatt (+orbs in+): What's up bro?

Chris: Disclaimer-time!

Both: Ladies … and gentlemen, it's an honour to us…to be here today. 

First we'd like to thank our mom that she produced two so handsome, good looking guys…and our dad for all that cooooooool powers…and mom too…yeah, mom too.

We thank the writers, who brought us on TV (despite the one who KICKED. US. OUT.!)

We don't thank the author of this story! **We don't belong to dragonsflyfree** and have to play in the story nevertheless…

But we proudly accept the price for the worst disclaimer ever… (+wink with a golden trashcan+)… and vanish before one of the sharp, painful objects dragons throws at us since we started the disclaimer, hits us.

So have a good time (+orbing away+)

* * *

Chapter ten / part five

_…Wyatt was about to close the door again, as something sticky at the tip of his shoe caught his attention. _

_"What the hell…?" He exclaimed._

_Chris congealed behind the boxes. Was he hallucinating? He had heard his brother's voice. But how?_

_The shivering whitelighter gathered all his strength left, to cry out his brother's name. All what actually escaped his aching throat was a faint croaking._

_The source needed no experts to find out that the sticky substance at the floor had to be blood. He had seen a lot of it since he had regained power over the city._

_So his awareness was increased and his senses wide awake as a barely audible sound was to be heard from behind some boxes._

_The demons-lord ripped the stack away in one telekinetic movement._

_What he saw made even the source go rigid in shock for a few seconds._

_"Shit,shit,shit!" He cried at the view of Chris lying limp in a pool of his own blood – just like their mother once did._

_There was no image he feared more in his life!_

_In an instant he knelt down and started to heal his brother._

_There was only a small and faint glow coming from his outstretched hands, and Wyatt's desperate struggles to heal had only small effects to the huge wound on his brother's neck._

_He would loose him!_

_The younger ones life was fading fast out of his eyes._

_"NO! " Wyatt yelled. "Not yet! Why in all gods names right now!"_

_He had always known that healing was a power of good. He knew it would eventually fail the same as the last good in him dwindled away as well._

_Now he was about to pay the highest price for his choice – his new life: The live of his beloved brother._

_But he would not let that happen!_

_NEVER!_

_"Go to the dungeons!" he yelled at the two demons that loitered at the door-frame knowing that there was no sense in fleeing._

_"Bring me every whitelighter or elder you can find! Shit, bring me everyone able to heal RIGHT NOW!"_

_The demons nodded anxiously and flamed away._

_The only thing Wyatt was left to do now was to hold his half conscious brother. He tried to keep him alive by talking softly to him, even if he wasn't sure if his voice would help to keep Chris with him, or if it drove him only farther away._

_He didn't know that he had some more help from a higher realm…_

…

_Chris heard voices – soft comforting voices, that seemed to flow together in his head to a soft blanket of words._

_He felt his consciousness slowly fading and became strangely light. The boy was transfused from happiness he wouldn't ever held possible to feel in his life again._

_Heaven was not the "Follow-the-light–thing" he had expected._

_Heaven was the face of his mother._

_Warm, tender hands cupped his face, and her voice melted into his conscience._

"_Hey, peanut!"_

"_M…mom?"_

"_What are you doing here son?"_

"_Mom!"_

"_Sure sweetie, you're with us. But your time isn't up. It simply can't be! You've got so much left to do._

_You've got a life to live!"_

"_But I want to stay with you, mum. It feels so good! Maybe it's the right thing?"_

"_Oh Chris, you don't know how much I love you – how much we love you! There is nothing I wish more than to hold my baby again. But it would be selfish. You have to go back now. You have to!"_

"_Mum…" was all the youngest Halliwell managed to finally choke out his voice raw of unshed tears._

"_I love you, my son! You're so brave and we are all so proud of you. _

_Keep on fighting! Keep on for me, please!" Pipers voice whispered from far away as her shape slowly faded._

_Chris felt the warming touch of his mother's hands like a sweet memory as he was once again surrounded by lonesome blackness._

_He was absolutely sure, that he was still alive, as the pain of his injuries hit him with full force._

_The whitelighters eyes shot open, and he tried once more to scream, but out of his throat came only a weak gurgling._

"_That's the way, little one!_

_Stay with me! Don't you dare to die now!..._

…_where the hell have the damn minions got bogged down?"_

_One of his sent out underlings flamed in immediately and bowed before his lord._

"_We're searching for someone with healing powers down in the dungeons, but I'm afraid to report that your lordship has already killed every whitelighter and elder we've ever captured!"_

"_No, that can't be! Noooooo!" Wyatt screamed while he dashed an angry fireball into the next wall._

_The demon besides him crouched inside of himself and let out a weak whimper._

"_There is only…!"_

"_Don't bother me with longish explanations. My brother is running out of time! Get that healer here! NOW!"_

"_Yes mylord!" The demon answered frightful while flaming out._

_Wyatt held his little brother for all that was good._

_This was so crazy: On the one hand he had been prepared to possibly kill his brother if he would refuse to join him. On the other hand, being without him was the worst thing he could imagine._

_For one timeless moment the rules of this world had been repealed._

_In this tiny moment it was only a brother holding another – as it ever should have been._

_The moment was much too soon bygone as the demons flamed in again._

_They held a dirty and dishevelled figure struggling between them._

_Wyatt's eyes widened as he became aware, who the healer was, that the two had found down in one of his deepest dungeons. Straight out of one of the cells where the captives were put to vanish for eternity._

"_Father" He spoke at long last with a restored ice-cold voice._

_Leo stayed calm and looked straight into the sources eyes. There had been too much he went through, to be frightened of the source evermore._

"_Heal him! He's running out of time!"_

_Leo was horrified about the state his youngest son was in._

_After being released out of the demons grip, he immediately kneeled down besides Chris._

"_Christopher!...Hey Chris, look at me! Can you hear me? It's me! Dads here!"_

"_He can't hear you! Now get into action or he's going to die!" Wyatt's voice was now bare of any emotion._

_Leo stared into Wyatt's eyes with pure anger_

"_I can't!" He stated. "And if he dies it will be your fault Wyatt!"_

"_Why do you refuse to heal him? You've always healed him, no matter in what relation- or better non-relationship the two of you were. You can't be that cruel. And don't you dare blaming me with that!"_

_Leo simply stretched out his right arm for an answer. The crusty wristband he wore had bitten deep into his wrist and witnessed of the long time of captivity the elder must have endured._

_As Wyatt saw the power-blocking band, he became aware, that Leo indeed wasn't able to heal his son. No matter how much he longed to. ´_

_Wyatt turned to his demons: "You stay here and take care of him. Don't let him try anything stupid – and that means not to harm or kill him! Did you two morons understand that this time?"_

"_Yesmylord!" They answered eagerly while the source shimmered away._

_Leo started immediately to take care of his injured son. With skilled hands he applied pressure on the still harshly bleeding wound at the neck._

_Chris groaned and started wriggling but gained no full consciousness. The schooled sight of a medic told him that his youngest was nearer to death then to life._

"_Hold on" He mumbled, "just hold on!"_

_As Wyatt returned, he held an athame like magic tool, which he used to open the elders wristband that fell rattling to the floor._

"_Don't try anything stupid. Your son's life depends on it!"_

_Leo wasted no time with arguing. He didn't even take the second to rub the soreness out of his aching wrist._

_As soon as he could reach his son again the familiar healing glow appeared and the wound at Chris neck closed slowly._

_The boy took a deep relieved breath and winced in pain._

_He didn't dare to move or open his eyes. He concentrated in filling his burning lungs with the urgently needed oxygen again, and tried to push of the thought how furious his brother would be about his escapades. Even if he'd healed him._

_Right this moment a powerful light beam hit the elder and Leo was taken upthere again._

_Wyatt laughed about the elders. Their cruelty was not to top. They saved Leo because he was one of them, and abandoned his son to suffer his fate at the hands of the source of all evil._

_That was true bravery._

_He smirked at the thought that he would kill all the remaining few elders as soon as he got the opportunity to do so._

_Now he had to focus on Chris!_

_The confused young whitelighter opened his eyes reluctantly._

_How was Wyatt in the end still able to heal him?_

_His neck still felt a bit sore but despite of it all right. Something you could not say about his shoulders and back. _

_As he sat up shivering, a searing pain ran trough him._

_Was that again one of Wyatt's weird ways to punish him? Chris resolved stubbornly not to squeal about his pains. He would not let his brother have that much of satisfaction._

"_Hey easy bro!" Wyatt was almost solicitous._

_But that only lasted for the next second._

"_What the hell do you think in pulling such a stunt, he? The demons almost killed you!"_

_In an afterthought he vanquished the two said demons with a simple twinkle of his eyes._

_Chris turned his head disgusted away._

"_Nah, are we squeamish today, aren't we?" So the roles were back to normal again._

_Wyatt helped his brother to stand up a lead him to the next restroom where he took care of the deep gashes with the help of a first aid kit. After summoning a new shirt for Chris, the brothers walked wordless back to the nearby dining room._

_Chris was visibly tensed by the thought of what would follow now…_

TBC…


	16. Chapter 10VI Entering the lions den 6

**Disclaimer:**

**Anti orbing spell:……check!**

**Windows: bullet proof ……..check!**

**Walls: Double spell and potion proof……check! **

**Floor: No one's gona dig through a 5 inch steel plate!...check!**

**+smiles evilly+**

**This will be the first time, ill do the disclaimer shortly and in total peace.**

**So, they don't….**

Chris: …Hey dragons, long time no see, dude!

**How the hell did you get in here!**

Chris: Through the door, why? Dude you are getting weirder from day to day!

**AGGGGGGGRRRR! How stupid,stupid,stupid can I be?**

Chris (+takes in a deep breath to answer+)

**Don't you dare**!

Chris: So what's the matter?

**I just wanted to do the first serious disclaimer in the whole history of this story.**

Chris: If that's all! WYATT!

Wyatt: Hey there!

Chris: There was a request of the author for a serious disclaimer.

Wyatt: Let me, me ,me! (+jumps up and down+)

**All right, I surrender!**

Wyatt (+with deathly serious face+): Ladies and gentlemen…

Chris:+ hums the intro of the evening news+

Wyatt: …Welcome to the evening disclaimer, my names Wyatt Mathew Halliwell.

As the press agency Reuters confirms, does the famous worldwide loved cast of the recently cancelled popular TV show Charmed not belong to a person sufficiently known as "dragonsflyfree".

The author annotated to this case, that a copyright-violation was not intended. Lately arisen rumours about some of the main characters held captive by said famous writer are a plain right lie.

"We are all," to quote the author "a happy flat-share!"

Chris: Wow Wy, you're a freakin dictionary!

**AHHHHH Someone come and take these two loonies out of my house!**

* * *

**Chapter ten / part six (DON'T beat me it'll end soon!)**

_All Chris wanted was to lay down his battered body and sleep away all of his pains._

_But Wyatt forced him to have dinner with him. The young whitelighter hung more in his chair then he sat. His eyes were smote of a heaviness that made it hard to follow the endless speeches and indoctrinations that came out of his brother's mouth like a never ending stream._

_AWAY!_

_He wanted to be far, far away!_

_His tiredness didn't stop Chris from sending angry glances towards his brother._

…

_Angry glances, that's all Wyatt got from his brother throughout the whole dinner. At some point he simply gave up the attempt to chatter the dark moods that hung heavy in the room away. _

_So the rest of the evening went by in icy silence._

_Chris waited with frayed nerves for further punishment, as the sound of a harshly jotted fork made him jump slightly._

"_I think tonight we're getting nowhere with our "conversation", so now its time to show you your room."_

_Chris swayed slightly as he stood up to follow his brother out of the room. He would have given a lot to simply orb his tired body to whatever damp cell his brother had allocated for him._

_It was a surprise. The room was no cell at all, but maybe the best guarded room in the whole headquarter, as Chris guessed. Something on the room was strange to the young whitelighter; he just couldn't grasp it right now._

_It was a windowless but nice little chamber, on which someone had spent an amount of time to make it some kind of comfortable._

_Wyatt yet again smiled that smile that made ice-cold shivers run down his little brother's spine._

_How could someone enjoy such a false performance?_

_Chris let his eyes wander through the room. As they fell upon the bed, he suddenly knew what it was, that was strangely familiar to him._

_This was his own bed._

_The one he had slept in half of his life. – The happy half!_

_How could Wyatt dare! Chris got angrier by every second ticking by._

"_How could you…!"_

_Wyatt shrugged and furrowed his face in perplexity._

"_Just some reveling of the good old days, little bro! Surprised?"_

"_Seriously pissed of would be more fitting! How could you bring it here! Did you honestly think I could still sleep in it after all the changes, after everything you have done to the world we grew up in?"_

_Painful memories of his lost family, his lost chance for a happier life overwhelmed the boy._

_He couldn't talk on further. _

_There were so many things that he'd like to say to his brother, he'd like to smash the words right into his smiling face, but out of his pain-strangled throat came once again nothing._

_Was this Wyatt's intention? A sick little mind game? Warming up some cosy childhood memories, being nice to his little brothers pained and tortured soul and he would gladly join him?_

_Dream on Wyatt!_

_Chris only kept up with the thought that he would soon hopefully see the complete headquarter. So he kept a stiff upper lip and tried to focus on his task._

"_So if you don't like it, don't sleep in it!" Wyatt shrugged once more. Most of the times his brothers reactions seemed really strange to him. But he would change that soon enough._

"_Bianca!" The source called._

_After Wyatt had dismissed the young Phoenix to rest as they had returned from the orphanage, she now shimmered back in instantly._

"_What is she supposed to do here?" Chris growled with an angry glance at the girl._

"_She will take care that you don't try more stupid things while I try to get some rest. You know what brother? You are more arduous then a whole bunch of demons."_

"_You can't be serious. She is going to baby-sit my sleep!"_

"_If I could only be sure of you sleeping!"_

_Chris mumbled unintelligible courses while he started to take a closer look at the room. No windows, just one door beneath which Bianca started to settle down unceremoniously. Wyatt stud there glaring at his brother and Chris knew that he was burning for a nice long chat with him. But he would not give him that._

_The youth was still in some dangerous mood that would bring him into only more troubles if he would start to pronounce his thoughts._

_And he would do it; he knew his temper all too well._

_So he remained fuming but silent._

"_Come on Chris, talk to me, I know that you want it as much as I do. I can literally see your comments burning on your tongue._

_Come on, be cheeky, be angry now we are almost alone, but be something!"_

_Still Wyatt got no reaction. _

_After a while of awkward silence, Wyatt shrugged for the last time this night and simply shimmered away._

_Chris settled down in front of the bed, watching it like some precious treasure._

_It looked simple. A wooden bedstead that was decorated with different patterns and some small gemstones. The ornaments were in some places artfully painted while other seemed to be made in a naïve childlike manner._

_Carefully and fondly he traced a finger over the old at some places spalled colorful ornaments..._

_...He had always been in trouble with sleeping._

_For the best he was a light sleeper with occasional nightmares, but when things got worse he woke up every night screaming or wasn't able to sleep at all._

_Piper was at some point through with her knowledge._

_She had tried to help her youngest with all sorts of sleeping teas. The sisters had sat at the bed of the boy for endless nights. Phoebe had even tried it with some sort of counselling sessions for him. All to no effort. Till Paige had the idea with the bed._

_They had adorned Chris´ bed together. He could tell from every part who had done it. Even his dad had done his part of work. His tiny blue stars seemed like a shower of blue orbs._

_At least they had blessed the bed with all sorts of spells – some real and some beautifully faked as for to comfort the little ones troubled soul._

_Chris could say justly that he had the safest bed in the whole country – even comparable to his brother's force field._

_And it worked: The sleeping problems subsided._

_His bed was his fortress._

_And now it was here – right in the middle of hell._

_The contrast between the good magic it emitted and its cruel environment was almost physically painful for the young whitelighter._

_Wyatt knew what he would trigger with the simple gesture of bringing it out of the manor/museum to this place._

_He initiated emotional torments through this and he got them immediately._

_But he would not get to him so easily._

_Chris placed a blanket and a small cushion in the corner the farthest away from Bianca and settled in for the night._

_Bianca glared at him as if he'd lost his mind completely now._

_He thought about offering her to take the bed for the night, but he did not believe that the magic it still inherited would let her even near it. At least she was a demon!_

_But it would bring her far away from the door – his only way to get out of here._

_He wouldn't do that. To poor, to easy to be seen through._

_+Any ideas to remove the band yet+_

_Serena! He had totally forgotten about her._

_+No, nothing at all. I think you can go to sleep now, Serena. Get some rest!"+_

_+But…+_

_+No buts Serena, nothing special will happen till tomorrow morning. I see no way to sneak out tonight+_

_OK, then let's call it a night, but call if you need me+_

_+Will do+Chris felt the connection was cut +…NOT+ He added._

_There were some things Serena didn't need to know – his dreams were part of that. His life was no damn picture show for the resistance._

_For now the question was how he would get the bloody assassin away from the door. He shifted to look into her direction. The resulting pain remembered him to be careful with the movements of his still injured back. This limited his possibilities to get into action substantial._

_Some kind of distraction would be nice._

_What did his brother say…?_

_She should protect him from his demons? So what about giving her some demons to protect him from…?_

_Thinking of this, exhaustion overwhelmed the young whitelighter and he fell in a deep restless sleep._

……

"_Chris!" Someone was shaking him._

"_Chris!" Who was so annoyingly loud screaming?_

"_CHRISTOPHER!" He felt a hand lightly slapping his face._

_He awoke trembling and bathed in cold sweat. Opening his eyes brought not much of a change. The room was almost pitch black._

_After a while his breathing evened out a bit and his eyes adjusted to the darkness._

_He could loom the outlines of Bianca sitting besides him._

"_You were screaming like hell! What did you dream of?" She asked really worried._

_Chris did not know himself, why he was answering her question, but he did._

"_My mom!" He said quietly._

"_You've got nightmares about your mom?" She asked curious._

"_About her death…!"_

"_Was she murdered?"_

"_When I was fourteen._

_I can't really remember. They say it was planned by some demons, but I have really no concrete memories. Even if I was the only one who was actually there as it happened."_

_Why was he telling her all that intimate stuff? She was an assassin. Wyatt's assassin. The enemy!_

_Chris didn't know himself anymore but heard himself continue…_

"_In my dreams I see, I live through the event every time. I perceive every little detail. But every time its some ways different."_

"_So you think your mind blocks what really happened?"_

"_Don't know, maybe it's like this. Sometimes I think I was unconscious when it happened."_

_Chris was glad that they sat in darkness so that Bianca could not see the lonesome tear that had managed to escape the struggles not to cry._

_There was a long silence before Bianca suddenly spoke again._

"_You know, my mom was murdered too!"_

_She really didn't know why she was so confidently to the trembling boy besides her. There was something…a feeling that she could tell him everything – no matter what._

_This was so against all the training she ever had!_

_It didn't matter – This felt so right!_

"_Was your mom an assassin too?" A small voice besides her asked wary._

"_Yeah, she was the best the Phoenix coven ever spawned._

_She was till she met my father, I think._

_They were so unbelievable in love! He was a common human, you know."_

"_Sounds like you had a real nice and normal childhood then?"_

"_Should have been that way, but you don't know the rules of the coven. No Phoenix is allowed to love a mortal human being, respectively have a child with one. It's something unforgivable to the coven."_

"_But why? I mean they have children. They must reproduce or the coven would die out."_

"_It's a bit complicated..._

_All Phoenixes are born without a conscience. It's essential for them to be so. They need it so they can do their job, follow their destination._

_That's why the Phoenixes are not allowed to love in anyway. They only reproduce with demons. So the coven keeps the bloodline clean from any abnormalities like consciousness._

_The head of the coven was furious as they found out that my mother lived with a man, a common human._

_Not long after the coven found out my father died in a mysterious car accident and my mom went into hiding with me._

_She was convinced that the coven did not know about my existence. So we lived modest but happy in a small apartment far away from assassinations and the coven._

_I was totally oblivious of the whole Phoenix-thing till my 12´th birthday._

_With twelve the Phoenixes start their training. They leave their families and get some sort of teacher – the mentor. They stay with their mentor till they did their first kill, which ranges between sixteen and eighteen._

_My mom was shocked but not as much as I was, as suddenly two strange women stud in front of our door. They held an extraordinary present for me – an athame neatly packed into transparent wrapping foil._

_I couldn't believe what these women told me. My god I became twelve that day!_

_My mother had a long heated argument with the women which at some point turned into a full grown fight. This was the first time I saw my mother as something else then the calm and friendly part time secretary and loving mom, that I knew my whole life._

_And it was the last time although._

_She fought hard and she lost everything she ever lived for that day._

_And me, I was taken into the coven._

_So don't you dare to think that I like it to be that way! I can kill, for sure. I'm very well trained for it now, but don't you ever think that I like it!"_

_Bianca felt a hot tear running down her cheek and slowly ever so slowly the heads of the teenagers met in the still of the night._

_They sat there; heads leaned on one another all through the night, silently crying for the other ones lost life._

_In this night there was sealed a bond, that neither hell nor heaven would be able to split._

_A bond of deep true friendship._

TBC…


	17. Chapter 10VII Entering7

**Disclaimer:**

Chris (+ducking+): DEMONS!

Wyatt: Stay put! I've got him! (+vanquishes the raging demon with an energy-blast+)

Chris: That was a damn near thing, brother!

Wyatt: You bet, Chris! What on earth was that ugly, slimy thing?

Chris: I really don't know, but I'm mighty glad that it's gone. Who knows what it could have done to poor old dragons, you know!

Wyatt: While we are on the subject…Chris…!(+points behind his brother+)

**Hey guys! Have you seen my friend somewhere?**

Both: …Your… what?

**My friend, you know…big, handsome…coming right out of the shower?**

Chris(+stutters+): W…we didn't know that…

…**What do you think? That I'm waiting that the two of you end your little "vacation" at crazyDFFgangs place? Dream on boys!**

Wyatt(+abashed+): There is something we need to discuss…

**What? That **

**you don't belong to me **

**and can do therefore whatever you want to? **

**EVERYONE KNOWS THAT!**

Chris: No, the thing with your friend…ehm we really meant no harm but…(+whispers+) Wyatt help me…!

Wyatt: You know, now we will stay here! You won't need him anymore!

**+dragons stumbles over a pile of ashes+**

**crazydff ! Come and save them...NOW…I can't guarantee for anything!**

Both (+crestfallen+): Come on…please… we will make up for it!

Wyatt: Don't send us away, we like it here. It's so much fun…!

Chris(+cheeky+): Yeah, apart from this strange demon…

Wyatt (+mutters+) Don't push it, bro! Think about crazydff´s tofu…yak…icky!

Chris (+ruefully+): Oh yeah, I see! So come on dragons, don't be mad about us…We'll find a spell…and…and he'll be as good as new!

Wyatt: PROMISED! Friends again?

**dragons(+pouts+)!**

* * *

And now let's see how the Chris in the present is doing….

* * *

**Chapter ten / part seven:**

Chris lay in the dirty old fabric hall tossing and turning as he was trapped into the nightmarish world that was his past. The dreams had their claws buried deep into his consciousness as if they would never release him again.

Cold shudders were running down his spine and he was caught in the middle of a shivering attack when silent blue-white orbs filled the air and left two fairly clueless people in the middle of the hall.

"Whoa there, I think something went definitely wrong again." A puzzled Piper exclaimed while she looked around to get an impression of where they might have landed now.

First they had orbed to a dingy backstreet full of dump (which they had searched through TWICE, because Leo had insisted, that his elder senses would not fail him. But nope. You are getting old, oh-so-blessed-elder´ Piper thought someways gloating.

After that smelly interlude, Leo's apparently haywire senses lead them to a stop in a big deserted dormitory, which they left instantly, as an outraged young woman started to chase them away.

And now THAT…!

"For the hundredth time, Piper: There was nothing I did wrong…!"

"I can see that – **again!**" Piper said dangerously low.

"I still don't understand why you are so mad about me now? He is the one who messed up everything! I left the damn little troublemaker that night, because he pissed me seriously of, and…"

"Don't you dare to speak that way about him, Leo! Chris saved our sons live, while you got managed to get caught by some stupid shapeshifting demon."

"Ooohh, look who's having a guilty conscience now, but be honest, honey, you think like me, that he is a hell of an annoying pest."

In someways Leo was right, that was the way she had thought about the boy, but now…

"Oh Leo, you should have seen him there, He was so desperate and sad. I think we should all think our behaviour against him over. If I reconsider how mean and distrustful I've been…

And he doesn't hesitate in saving my baby nevertheless. He risked his life for Wyatt, and all I did was stand and stare. I haven't even said anything.

Piper's eyes wandered through the hall during her laments.

"Leo I think you should orb us home this is so…Oh my god, Chris!"

Piper hurried besides the young whitelighter she had espied just that moment.

She ran a tremulous hand gently over his clammy forehead.

"He's so cold Leo!" Piper said while she shook the boy gently.

"And he isn't waking up!..."

Leo took a closer look at the weak form that lay huddled up on the dirt covered ground.

He seemed to be in a dreamlike state, but nothing Piper had tried so far managed to wake him.

"Let's take him out of here first!" Leo stated and orbed Chris and Piper into the manors living-room. The youth remained lain on the carpeted floor without as much as a stir.

The older man knelt besides the young whitelighter and turned him carefully onto his back.

It was the first time he entirely apprehended the severe injuries the boy had suffered and was shocked.

The burns and cuts he found would have been enough to knock out a rock of a man not to say someone in Chris anyhow desolate state. This was enough to put him…

Oh god, not a coma! ´ Leo thought. If the boy really had gone into coma it would be entirely his and the sisters fault!

Carefully to do no further harm he lifted the boy up into his arms and placed him onto the couch where the elder started his check up and immediately began to heal the heaviest burns and cuts.

Some were so nasty, that he had to summon up all of his powers to slowly make them fade.

Leo although sensed some broken or cracked ribs. These injuries took him fortunately only seconds to mend –

Broken bones were easy to heal.

To speak of broken bones…

"What's that?" Piper asked as she carefully unfolded the arm Chris clutched tightly to his chest.

"A broken arm? Oh my…"

Chris winced in his sleep as Piper had painfully moved his arm. He was not able to stop the movement but the pain shot full force into his dreams.

"…this fracture is older then the rest" Leo continued still in full medic-mode.

"I think he broke it as we met on the bridge last time. My… does that kid hate me so much that he would rather run around with a broken arm then to ask me for help?

And same for the other injuries, he could have died if we had not found him yet. Damn stubbornness!"

The elder was not sure what feeling stung him more - resentment or sadness.

But he'd wasted enough time.

Every second ticking by was a moment more in pain for the youth.

So he healed his arm and tried again to wake him. He hoped he would be more successful now as there was no physical pain anymore that Chris body had to protect him from through unconsciousness.

Chris once more didn't as much as blink in his "sleep".

Under the worried glances of Piper, Leo disappeared into the lavatory and came back with an old leathern bag. Out of the bag the former doctor fingered a small torch. He lifted one of Chris eyelids gently and shone the light into the eye – the pupil showed only faint reaction! The other was no difference!

"He's in some kind of comatose state, but I can't explain to myself why. There was no head wound or something else that I healed that would have lead up to such a state. But wait…!"

Leo once again placed the golden glow of his powers over the unreactive body.

"There is a potion running in his system…it's almost vanished…"

"Someone poisoned him?" Asked Piper incredulous, while her eyes widened at the thought.

"I'm not sure!" Answered Leo as he started to do further exams.

Chris vitals were worryingly weak.

After rummaging through his old med-bag, Leo fingered out a syringe and took some blood samples of the young whitelighter.

"Maybe you can figure out what's circulating in his blood and find an antidote."

"I'm right into action! Paige…! Phoebe…!"

After a few moments the youngest charmed one orbed in with her sister in tow.

Meanwhile Chris was still trapped in the side effects of the withdrawing sleeping-potion.

He simply wasn't able to wake up…!

…

…_Chris awoke with the strong sense of someone coming. Even with his empathic powers_

_bound he could feel the precursors of Wyatt's threatening vibes. So did Bianca._

_Hastily the two parted, sharing a glance that sealed the secrecy of their approach. Wyatt would never find out about it._

"_Morning brother!" Was the grumpy greeting Chris got from his brother. Coming from Wyatt this was almost a gushy salutation, he never was an early riser._

_The sources next glance went over to Bianca, implying the silent question if his brother had behaved well in the previous night._

_He took a silent nodding of the young assassin for an answer and smiled inwardly – so she was able to tame his little brother's explosive temper._

_He had expected that Chris at least would try something._

_But Wyatt had no more time to contemplate about that. There was a schedule he had to fulfil._

"_..So Chris, you will among other things attend to my first meeting today. You know my rules! Just look, listen and learn! Understood!" Chris nodded silently._

_Had everyone lately lost their voice, the source thought wondering, but was delighted about the fast changes he seemed to reach in his brother's behaviour._

_+Moooooooorning sleepyhead+_

_+Serena! Don't you ever shock me that way in the early morning+ Chris sent out after the initial fright of feeling someone ruthlessly popping into his mind._

_When he was back with the resistance he would have to work out some telepaths- etiquette with Serena._

…

_After an opulent breakfast, Chris felt slightly sick. His stomach simply wasn't used to have so much food anymore._

_Living with the resistance was full of privation and the lack of enough food was one of the harshest parts._

_So Chris took the opportunity to get what he could, full aware that the fat times would soon come to an end – at the one way… or another._

_The sickness of a stomach full as a tick combined with the weakness and pain he still felt from the demon attack of the previous day wasn't quite helpful to produce the best of moods in the young Halliwell. But the prospect to maybe see the headquarter today kept him wide awake and at attention._

_After fishing this he could finitely work at a plan to get out of this nightmare._

_Wyatt watched his brother gloomily from the other end of the large dining-room table. The boy seemed to be deep in thoughts._

_If Chris only would understand his world – his way of thinking._

_Everything could be so great._

_How he longed to take care of his little brother again._

_Watching him almost die yesterday had broken up old feelings again._

_He remembered livid the time after their moms dead, when he had been the only thing that prevented his brother from going over the edge. And so Chris was for him._

_But today he was going to make it… today he would show Chris his way of living and convince him of his ideas. And at the end of the day he would join. Everything would be the way it should be again._

_He didn't dare to think about the possibility that his little brother could reject him again…_

…

_+Its Showtime, Serena+_

_Chris felt the attention of the telepath grow, as they walked through the wide building. The young whitelighter tried to memorize every little detail of the building, every little thing his brother mentioned – just in case._

_He surely knew that everything he sent through Serena would be recorded and processed immediately but you never can tell…!_

_+By the way hotshot, it's good to see you up onto your two legs again! You know you really worried us+_

_+Thanks Serena. Ready to do a little spy-work now, or do you need some more moments to pity me+_

_+Whoa there is someone really out of humour today+_

_+Want to change places+_

_+All right, all right I got it Christopher; just make sure to look into the right directions. I'm always with you, and Chris…+_

_+What+_

_+Could you please try not to work up your brother today? _

_Try to not get damaged anymore, Ok sweetie+_

_+You don't say! ...If my dearest brother knew what we are doing here, I would not have to worry about any damage - I would be dead in an instant +Chris chuckled._

_Wyatt interpreted this as a sign, that Chris enjoyed the sightseeing and his company._

_+This is not funny, Christopher Halliwell, not funny at all+Serena scolded._

_+Oh Serena get a coffee, your sense of humour seems to be still asleep+_

_+…says Mr. grumpy! Very funny! By the way, how's your back doing – and don't get me with that I'm fine´ crap young man+ Chris could formally see Serena menacingly furrow her brows._

_+You know what Serena…sometimes you sound right like my mom+_

_+That was no answer+_

_+I know+ Chris grinned and ended the topic with that._

_Serena knew that she had not the slightest chance to push the young man to something he did not want to tell._

_Sometimes the caginess of the whitelighter with the saddest eyes shed ever seen worried her. If times were like they had to be, he would be in high school now and the only thing he should worry about should be what to wear for the next party or how to get the girl of his dreams._

_She hated to see what life had done to this boy._

"_Hey little brother, don't drift away! As soon as we reach the command central we will take a break, so we can talk."_

_Chris walked through the corridors like in trance. This was it. The thing he had risked his life for. And there would be a long way to go till he was out of the woods – if ever._

_All he hoped for was that his sacrifice was worth it and the resistance could use their newly achieved knowledge for some damn good moves. But even if he saved only as much as one life then his mission had fulfilled itself._

_Too fresh were the memories of his capture and the following rescue branded in his soul that had happened only a year ago._

_Without their plans of the old headquarter, the resistance had never been able to rescue him._

_The same time Chris walked through the floors of the sources HQ, the holographic plan in the resistance database grew._

_Every time he crossed some remarkable points like doors labelled with signs as "ENERGY SUPPLY" or "MAIN SERVER ROOM" he could hear loud cheers and applause over the connection._

_But the most time went on in tensed silence._

_As they had reached the heart of the headquarter, it was like a big collective intake of air. He was there – They were there! The corridor of power!_

_The doors opened and presented a view of a real beehive of activity._

_Everywhere monitors computer systems and all kind of technical toys Chris could imagine. This plus the huge amount of magic powers made them a millennium away from the standards the resistance was able to summon up._

_Wyatt led Chris to the middle of the hall where a cubicle of smoked and mirrored glass enclosed the holy of holies – Wyatt's main office._

_As they entered the murmur that had begun to grow as Wyatt's employees had espied the sources brother- known as resistance leader- walking freely behind him, stopped immediately._

_The room was totally sound-proofed._

_The youngest Halliwells apprehension he must discover that even the connection with the resistance wasn't able to get through these shimmering walls._

_A true piece of work this was!_

_Now the whitelighter was indubitably alone to face the evil._

_No powers, no backup – NOTHING…_

_TBC…_


	18. Chapter 10 Last part

**Disclaimer:**

dingdongdingdongdingdong………………….+

dragons opens the door+

**Oh shit the "Free-the-Halliwells-organization"!**

Member: You know why we are here! So will you extradite the poor boys by your own choice or will we have to persuade you?

**Hey! This is a fallacy!**

Member: Is this? What the hell are you thinking by…?

dragons breaks the angry verbiage+

**I'm not thinking anything, because there isn't anything I've done!**

**I don't own them! **

**They are my guests and stay here on their own accord.**

**Did somebody really believe the rumours about that?** (+gets big eyes+)

(+someone giggles behind the door+)

**Boys will you PLEASE come out here for a moment!**

Chris: Do we have to? Look…it was only fun…

Wyatt: Yeah, no harm done,.. OK? It were only a few harmless disclaimers, nothing more!

FHO-Members (+while storming the house+): That doesn't matter! You are going to be saved nevertheless.

(+They drag the boys out of the house+)

Both: HELP!

**Don't be silly boys! You are witches, remember!**

Wyatt: Oh! (+aunt Paige syndrome+)

Both orb away from the enraged mob+

**Hey! Wait! What about meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee….!**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**Chapter ten / last part:**

…_Chris was - strange to say - not the slightest bit afraid or nervous._

_An eerie sense of calmness overcame him instead. He'd come so far…_

…_but something inside him was challenging him to dare some more._

_After an endless meeting with some of the darkest creatures the young whitelighter ever had faced, Chris was simply tired. They had discussed endlessly about city allocation, hunting rights (no Chris did definitely NOT want to know what hunting!) and how to affirm the sources power over the city._

_Chris worked hard to keep his mouth shut. If he screwed up now he would not get any further today. So he kept the comments burning in his throat and his brother in good temper._

_At some point all the emotionless and most of senseless discussions together with the soft whirring of Wyatt's computers blurred in the boys ears to one big pulp of sounds. _

_The words became meaningless and the only thing his mind could process was a soporifically mixture which soon showed its effect on the whitelighter._

_Finally, just as the youngest Halliwells eyelids started to drop and Wyatt was afraid his brothers forehead would soon hit the table top, the meeting came to an end and they were alone again._

"_So?" The source opened the conversation, and made Chris aware that now he was expected to speak. But what do you do when you know that all you have to say would end in a really big and nasty screaming fight._

_Don't exacerbate him, for heavens sake don't make him angry now! The young whitelighter told himself again and again._

_Chris decided for the jump ahead. So he started without any statement about the meeting._

"_Wy…" Yes, using his brother's nickname would be calming._

"_Yes Christopher?" _

_Christopher, shit that was a sign that his brother was definitely not amused´_

"_You… I mean… you told me you would show me everything! Did you really mean everything?" The boy's voice was quiet and almost hesitant now, despite the feelings inside him were running rollercoaster. _

"_Yeah Chris, my word is my bond! What do you need further to come to a decision?"_

"_I want to know what happens to all the people who disappear day by day._

_How does your…(don't anger him, don't say dictatorship!´)…ehm government handle with the ones that are against it._

_I ... I need to see it!"_

_Wyatt smiled a cruel little smile._

"_I don't think that you want to see this! You know it's not nice…_

_It takes a lot of harshness to reign and control a whole city – up and underworld."_

_Chris tried to avoid his brothers searching eyes. His gaze turned downwards he said with a sad voice and as calm as he was able to: "But I need to see!"_

"_You will hate me for that!"_

"_But it's a part of you! Something that you created. Its part of what you have become, Wyatt! If I have to decide to be with or against you, I have to see the whole Wyatt, the whole picture of what it is I have to decide about!"_

"_If this is truly your wish, I'll show you. Try to see it trough my eyes. Everyone you'll see wanted or tried to kill me. They all only get what they deserve!"_

_The whitelighter boiled inside. He wanted to scream at his brother, to shake some sense into him._

_These people only tried to survive – to end a reign of evil and horrors. They fought for their right to be free, to not be kept as slaves, used as cheap workers or worse as hunting pray._

_Everyone of those who suffered in the sources claws had a damned right to wish him death and Wyatt spoke of them like they were some sort of felons or psychic murderers._

_Chris knew he had to end this._

_He would go and see the cells, even if the pure thought of this gave him the creeps. After that he would do all that was in his powers to end his brother's evil reign._

"_Let's go!" said the source as he started to open the door of his office._

_A sudden icy silence greeted the pair._

_Chris tried to ignore the glares that stung like blistering hot needles and followed his brother with bowed head._

_He did not need more attention as he already got._

_The way down to the cell blocks seemed to be endless. The winding hallways eroded the stone like some vicious animal. If the command central was the heart of Wyatt's evil regime, these corridors led right into its dark and eerie soul._

_Slowly the stench of fear and death increased and Chris felt the tiny hairs on his neck raise._

_This was a real suicide mission, even if he got out alive. The things he was going to see now would be engraved in his soul forever._

_But the more he feared and hated what was about to going to happen, the more he knew that HE and he alone had to end all this, at all costs!_

_The sins committed by a Halliwell should be foiled by a Halliwell as well._

_Wyatt meanwhile opened one last heavy steel door with his high security codes, and there was…_

_Silence!_

_Silence?_

_Chris was prepared to hear a sea of moans and screams – but there was none._

_Nothing!_

_The only sign that there were really living human beings behind the countless cell doors down the endless corridors was an occasional muffled sob or painfully suppressed cough._

_The source had silenced them all._

_Chris shuddered at the thought what it would take to mute all these brave and determined women ad men who risked their life on a daily base for the resistance. And the young man had the feeling in the pit of his stomach that he would find out sooner as he would have liked to._

"_So we are here! What's next? I promised I would show you everything, and I'm keeping my word. But after we are now following your wishes, you are the one to choose the direction now._

_Do you want to see the interrogation rooms? - They are no different from the ones you used to know." An evil little chuckle escaped Wyatt's throat._

_Chris winced and suppressed the subconscious fear that produced the strong urge to run away, while he thought feverish where to go from here next. The resistance knew now the location of the cells with what his job was fulfilled._

_What now?_

_Wyatt would not buy that he had suddenly seen enough._

_He was truly at a loss as his brother helped´ him out unknowing._

"_Ah, I've got the perfect match for you, Chris!_

_If my sources are right you may even met him again recently."_

_Without any word for the young whitelighter to follow him, Wyatt marched away and increased his speed down the corridor to the left._

_Chris followed without a comment. There was really nothing to say – at least nothing he could speak out loud in front of the source without risking a new painful reunion with one of Wyatt's interrogation cells´. _

_They stopped in front of a steel door._

"_Holding cell IV – disposal" told a sign at the door._

_A most likely clawed hand had added in clumsy letters that had the sickening colour of dried blood:_

"_TRASH CAN"._

_This was the sort of humour´ in Wyatt's demented world. These were the creatures with which his brother surrounded himself. If Chris had ever had any doubts about his decisions this was his last approval. He was condemned to see a world he would rather leave dying while fighting against it, then survive through becoming a part of it._

_Chris was once again out of comments._

_He had the uneasy feeling that this was where he would end sometimes – human trash, ready to be thrown away._

_As the source opened the lockless door with a simple touch of his hand, everything in the young whitelighter ruffled up to enter._

_But if you are already in hell, the last step into the devils hall isn't that big anymore._

_So moving on autopilot for the umpteenth time in the last days he entered…_

…

_There was an unrecognizable bundle of human huddled up in the farthest corner of the incredibly dirty and apart from that empty chamber. The stench that pierced Chris nose immediately was so pervading that it took everyone's breath._

_The young whitelighter only moved hesitantly forward while the source punted the motionless pile with the tip of his boot._

_Wyatt looked disgusted. _

_Chris was horrified of what Wyatt – his Wyatt – the one who once had been his caring brother, the one who could once not even let any injured little animal left unattended at the roadside, even if it meant that he would be late for THE major football game of the year – and to say the least his coach was really not amused – had become now._

_This man was now standing here bare of any compassion._

_Was there something left in the source that Chris still could reanimate?_

_He wasn't sure anymore…_

_The meanly kick had meanwhile forced a reaction out of the human pile of rags._

_Glazed and tired eyes stared to scan the dim room without any sign of discern, till they rested on the brown-haired boys pain-filled face._

_Recognition awoke in Chris…_

"…_Davis?"_

_Under all the bruises and dried blood he had acknowledged the old chairman that had not so long ago tried to stop him from going onto this suicide mission._

"…_Chris?" came the unbelieving answer. The mans voice was so faint and raw that the young white lighter needed no further hint of what the man must have been through._

_The old man now began slowly to rock back and forth while muttering_

"…_everything's fine, its OK now, everything's fine…" again and again._

_Chris remembered the nice and calm older man he once knew from the resistance._

_Davis was once even a close friend of his family, but that had been in a time he had been to small to remember._

_Davis had once been an elder till he decided to become human again. He tried to be neutral and to stop all the craziness and bloodshed._

_He had always pleaded for peaceful solutions, and his advice was held high in the resistance council._

_Davis had quit his activities in the council as they had decided against him, to send Chris on his mission._

_Davis had as far as Chris could see now followed the boy and tried to save him from running headfirst into disaster. And the price he'd paid had been high!_

_What had they done to him?_

"_How could you do that? He's done nothing to you- he even wasn't in the resistance anymore. He quit!" The youth was all shook up._

"_Don't you see how much he's suffering Wyatt?" Chris asked in a pained quiet voice, as if afraid of what the answer to his question would be._

"_Cant you feel his pain?"_

_At this something changed in the sources eyes. They became kind of soft._

_Chris thought to find something almost familiar in it._

_The blond man took one step forward and crouched in front of the rocking man._

_He lifted the old mans chin affectionately._

"_I feel your pain, Uncle Davis!"_

"_..You once sat on my knee as you were a little boy. There was so much good in you…it was so strong…! How?...how could it come to this? How Wyatt! You mother…"tears welled up in the eyes of the broken man._

"_Ssssssh!" the source cupped the face of the man fondly in his hands._

"_Maybe there is hope?" Chris thought seeing this…_

_Wyatt looked Davis deep in the eyes as he snapped his neck._

"_Noooooooooo!" Chris cried out desperately. But it was too late. The boy fell defeated to his knees besides the dead body. His eyes filled with tears he looked up at his brother._

_There was a look in his eyes so full of vulnerability and despair, Wyatt had seen last time as Chris was a little boy._

_The boy's world was once more shattered._

"_Why?" was all Chris managed to croak out as he closed the old mans eyes for the last time. "Why?"_

"_You were right, little brother. I felt his pain and I ended it. There was no need for him to suffer longer._

_You know I'm not that cruel!"_

…

_It was the point where Chris lost it completely._

_He stormed on unsteady legs out of the room and threw up the precious food in his stomach all over the floor._

_Wyatt found Chris once more down on his knees while dry heaves mixed up with suppressed sobs shook his baby brother's fragile shape._

"_Maybe this will teach him a lecture, that there will be only one way of survival – My way! "The source thought._

_Wyatt was really convinced that all the putatively good things he had shown his brother mixed up with a proper portion of fear could pull his brother onto his side._

_He had to instill the thought into Chris that it was he who could make the difference that he could save all those peoples lives by sharing his brothers way of living and convincing those, who could not see clearly right now._

_This would be the last part of his plan._

_He had already brought the already tattered whitelighter literally down to his knees._

_His psyche was now vulnerable and hopefully easier moldable._

_Now he would take care of him, show him his soft side and build him slowly up again the way he wanted him to be._

_The source scooped the unresisting boy up into his arms and shimmered out._

_As they reappeared in Chris chamber he tried to place the now limp body carefully onto his bed._

_But the magic of his family was still strong in the piece of furniture and sent the evil Halliwell still holding his brother in his arms flying into the next wall, where they landed with a nasty thud in a crumpled heap on the floor._

_Wyatt had to resist the urge to blow the bed up with a good old solid fireball._

_But no, he had now sustain the facade of the nice brother._

_Chris remained in his lethargic state while Wyatt placed him swearing onto his cushion which lay still in the corner._

_While he covered hi with the blanket he yelled for Bianca, who shimmered in promptly._

"_What the he…" She started at the sight of the youngest Halliwell._

"_None of your concern, babe!" Wyatt interrupted her._

"_Just take care of him. Ill be back soon!" He had to check the book of shadows in his office for any helpful advice. The unresponsive condition the boy was in started to worry him not least because he was without any serious healing supports now that his own healing powers had dwindled._

_Without further explanations the source shimmered out._

_Bianca sat down besides the motionless whitelighter and brushed some stray bangs from his sweaty forehead._

_Chris eyes still stared into emptiness._

"_Oh Christopher! What have you gotten yourself in this time? You never do things the easy way don't you?"_

_Bianca conjured a bowl of cool water and a cloth and placed the cooling compress softly onto the young whitelighters head._

"_All right, I think if you are not able to take care of yourself…" A sad smile played around her lips at the thought to talk to Chris Halliwell that way without any objections. "…its time someone else takes over this job, and I will be damned if this someone would be the source._

_I know I will regret this sometimes, but hell there must be something worth risking your life for._

_I'm sure that bastard Wyatt isn't it – but maybe his little brother is!" _

_´Oh Bianca you've fallen complete crazy! …_

…_or in love? ´_

_From this moment on everything happened so fast, that no one could explain afterwards how this crazy action could have worked out, but it did._

_The confidence Wyatt had put into Bianca, this time turned against him._

_She was one of the few people he trusted so far that she could shimmer everywhere without limitations. As one of his personal bodyguards she could even appear in Wyatt's private rooms without being grilled by the sources protective energy field._

_She had never misused this trust – until now._

_With Wyatt's precious magic tool in her hands she shimmered back into the chamber of the younger Halliwell._

_Chris still wasn't responsive and seemed totally unaware that his rescue came from the most improbable side ever thought of. Out of the sources own rows._

_Silently the Phoenix opened the band on Chris wrist. Now everything went on in lightning speed. Wyatt must have sensed by this time that the huge amount of powers had been set free. So Bianca did not waste any time and shimmered the both of them out in a deserted and not monitored area of the city. She cloaked them instantaneously with what the young rebel vanished from the telekinetic radar´ of the resistance as well._

_Luckily the young Phoenix had still some friends outside of the evil regime who took the two lost teenagers into hiding_

…

_Chris lay securely tucked in a ragged blanket and was now deeply asleep._

_Bianca knew he would soon be on his feet again even if she worried if the wounds on his soul could ever heal._

_The Phoenix watched the for once relaxed and peaceful features of the boy. _

_At once he looked so young, as young as he could never afford to come across in this cruel world – as young as he really was!_

_Suddenly the whole scope of her actions crashed in over her. She had never been so confused in her whole life._

_But she was free._

_Free with a damn brave and cute young man by her side._

_And hell, she liked that!..._

_TBC…_


	19. Chapter 11: Out of the woods 1

**Disclaimer:**

Wyatt: We have a review – someone hates your spelling and grammar.

**I know. I'm so sad.**

Chris: Don't be! Look, Wyatt's stupid too!

Wyatt: Christopher I warn you!

**But he's right! I'm not a native speaker and…and…I can't even answer this review cause it was anonymous…and…+sniffs+ …and I don't know if I should continue this story.**

**Maybe…maybe I'm not good enough for this+sighs+**

Wyatt: Hey, don't cry.

Chris: We should visit this "E". He made her cry! Hey **YOU **out there. If this doesn't continue...we will…we will…Wyatt?

Wyatt: …We will come over to your computer and haunt you every day.

Chris: Yeah! We will read your emails…

Wyatt: …vanquish your passwords…

Chris: …delete your spellchecking program…

Wyatt:…and…

**OK, OK its enough boys. You've pushed your point home. Now… this is not the way.**

**And I think "E"´s right, this sucks.**

**I'll try to get better but I don't know if I can…**

Both: Awwwwww +big hugs+

Chris: We think people will read our story anyway, you know…and…and…if anyone finds a mistake he can PM us and you can change it.

Wyatt: Maybe dad could beta-read this…

Chris: ...no way – not dad! This story is already stuffed with strange words. Did dad ever check your homework? I got a good laugh from my teacher every time he'd "revised" my homework essay!"

Wyatt: OK, no dad. But come on dragons. The folks are waiting for the next chapter!

**But we forgot something…**

Both: Oh yes…we'll do this today!

Wyatt: **We don't belong to dragonsflyfree,** but we like her…

Chris: (+grinning+)...even if she's stupid…

Wyatt: CHRISTOPHER!… (+runs after him+)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**On with the show…**

**Chapter eleven: Out of the woods…/part one**

"Leo!...LEO, get down here!"

It did not need more then this to let the elder appear in blue-white orbs within seconds.

"What's up?" He asked worried "Any changes?"

"His breathing has slowed down once more! I'm not sure, but maybe it's the best if we take him to a hospital?" Piper was on the edge of her nerves. She had taken care of their young whitelighter non stop, only to watch him helplessly fading away more and more.

Leo tried immediately to heal the young man which at least eased his breathing, and Chris began to take in deep steady breaths again. The elder wished he could do more, but all his enquiries on who could have given the dangerous potion to Chris stayed fruitless.

He watched once again helpless as the young man moaned while endless nightmares seemed to haunt him. Oh how he hated to be helpless!

"Did Paige and Phoebe find out anything about the potion yet?"

"Nope, nothing! They've worked the last fourteen hours straight, but the only thing that they've achieved so far is to extract the traces of some potion out of the blood samples.

But the amount of stuff is so microscopic that they are struggling to find out all the ingredients. There is too little to run enough tests to find out all constituents of this concoction. So they concentrate on the main ingredients and try to work out with the help of the book of shadows some kind of multipurpose antidote.

They are working feverishly but…"

A slight explosion made the luster in the living room shake dangerously.

They heard a many-voiced "shit!" coming from the attic.

"Here goes unsuccessful attempt number...ehm…" Piper recounted using her fingers "…twenty-nine!"

Stretching her head up the stairway Piper yelled upstairs in a mix of annoyance and worry "Hey upthere is everybody all right?"

At this a very sooty and violently coughing Paige orbed in.

"We're all right so far…" Paige stated as the youngest sisters eyes took in the state of their whitelighter she broke off "… what you can not say about him!" she finished.

Piper sat down besides Chris and brushed a wet cloth over his feverish forehead.

"He needs help! Fast!" Piper stated.

Paige knelt down in front of the couch and took the frightening hot and limp hand of the boy.

"Hey there buddy! It's really time to wake up now. I swear what ever is bothering you we'll fix it someways. Just wake up please!"

There was no reaction at all. Paige's face took on a determined feature.

"OK then get ready for attempt number thirty!"

"Hope the house will survive it!" Piper stated.

"Fuck the house! What matters is that HE will survive it!" Paige took this really personal.

"Alright! And you mister…" She poked a finger into Chris chest "…you will hang on! That's an order! You understand!" And with that she orbed back to the attic.

…

Chris was meanwhile back at the worst day of his whole life.

How he wished that he knew what had happened on that one fateful day. But even now in his dreams there were only blurred pictures. His mind still had shut all security locks…

…_Far away he heard noise, cries; someone was calling his name…Leo. He slowly got conscious again but still wasn't able to open his eyes. _

"_We'll only know what happened when he wakes up." Leo's voice seemed to come from far away…_

"_If he wakes up" an upset Wyatt yelled. "It's been hours now!" _

_He felt someone violently shaking him, but there was no chance. It was like being trapped into his own body. He could not move or speak. But he could hear and now although feel something again, so he was confident, that the remaining body functions would be coming back soon. His mind tried desperately to reconstruct what had happened, but there was nothing…_

_Chris had arrived home from school. He was earlier than his brother, because he had against all orders orbed home, instead of walking. He wanted at least a few minutes alone with his mum. Today was his fourteenth birthday. He stormed into the kitchen "Mom I'm home" and then… nothing! Total black out!_

_After what seemed like endless struggles he was finally able to tiredly flutter his eyelids._

"_Hey there you are!" The first thing Chris saw was the worried glances of his father and brother._

"_Wy...dad...what...?" He managed to croak before his voice faltered._

_Wyatt eyed his brother with red rimmed eyes. "Don't you remember anything?" He asked carefully, his voice now small and shaky. Pictures flooded Wyatt's mind._

_As he'd come home finding his little brother and mother lying in the kitchen in a pool of blood. How he had believed they were both dead. How his father had broken down as he held his dead wife - right after healing his youngest. All this pictures overwhelmed the blonde boy at once._

_Chris slowly shook his head in denial, he could not remember anything, but an uneasy feeling began to spread in his guts that something must have happened. Something...and then it hit him. "Where is mom?"_

_Wyatt sat there thunderstruck "Chris, mom is...she is..." but he couldn't bring himself to say it. Speaking out loud would make it real would bring this nightmare into reality. He could not think it let alone speak it out loud._

_Seeing his oldest struggle with words, Leo took over. Chris deserved to know the truth that he saw his youngest already presage deep inside._

_He took his youngest into a firm hug as he whispered softly "Your moms gone, Chris!"_

"_No" Chris whispered "No" and it was the last thing the apathetic young boy said for a long time..._

…

"No!...No" they could hear the whitelighter mumble in his sleep while Leo finally administered "attempt number thirty five" to the writhing boy. This one simply had to work. The longer Chris stayed into his current state the more improbable it would become for him to come back out of it. So they all waited tensed for any reaction.

Chris became aware of light whispers besides him.

"I still don't understand what the hell he thought by using such a heavy and dangerous potion…?" That was definitely the sound of his mother's voice. It almost painfully mixed with the feeling of loosing her, which had the last of his dreams brought up freshly again.

"…think it's my fault. I must have set him under enormous pressure with my trial to clip his wings…"

Leo, always the self-blamer. Wimp! ´thought Chris.

"Look! I think he'll wake up every moment…!"

Paige´Yeah the young whitelighter liked her practical kind to go about something – no fussing around.

With that the youngest Halliwell tried to open his eyes not knowing what he should do otherwise.

He was was shaken to the core as he was not able to do so…!

TBC…


	20. Chapter 11 : Out of the woods 2

**WARNING:** This is going to be a short part – so don't be disappointed…sorry!

**Disclaimer:**

Wyatt: Hold on Chris! My god you are bleeding like a pig…

Chris: Wyatt, if I'm not going to make it…you have to…you have to finish this story alone, do you get me?

Wyatt: No! Not without you li´l bro! I can't do that without you!

Chris: You have to! We can't let dragons down…

Wyatt: Damn it Chris, don't talk like this…!

Chris: Wyatt my head is swimming…

Wyatt: NOOOOOOO! DRAGONS…!

**I'm coming, I'm coming! (+Puts a band aid on Chris´ bleeding finger+)**

**God, I've never seen anyone being so theatrically about such a little wound.**

**Cutting your finger while chopping vegetables is not life threatening Chris!**

**And Wyatt…You definitely have to learn to use the text processing program on your own, so you wouldn't have to whine for your brother all the time. **

Wyatt: She sounds like mom!

Chris: But she's not mom! Mom would've kicked your ass for becoming evil…

Wyatt: …and she would have been mad about you for your dirty words and your cursing all the time…

Chris: …as if you are not using them…

Wyatt: …source-of-all-evil – remember…

**Boys, were here to do the disclaimer – remember…?**

Both: We don't belong to anyone, especially not dragonsflyfree. We are not sure at the moment if we like to play further in her story.

Chris: Wyatt is tired of being "the evil" the whole time…

Wyatt: …and it is definitely time that anyone invents a nice life for Chris…medications and hospital bills are expensive these days, you know…

Chris: …try to get a health-insurance if you fill in the job-array with "Whitelighter" or "World-saviour" – that's so NOT good!

Wyatt: And now that even the TV-bosses cancelled our show, please spend all you can afford to the "homeless-witches-foundation" at the FHO (don't know it? READ the disclaimers GRIN) and help us to get our own place…!

Oh, we are not ungrateful, we like dragonsflyfree…but a little distance would definitely improve our relationship…

**Love you boys!**

Both: We know!

**GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!**

Both: OK, OK just kidding…we love you too! And of course **YOU** out there!

Yes we mean **YOU!**

So how about a nice long review for this story?

Chris: We would even love you MORE after that!

Wyatt: You don't have to try it with currying favour Chris, you know!

Chris: It's worth trying! You know: No reviews – no story… No story – no Wyatt and Chris…So we better try EVERYTHING, before we end up as stunt doubles in "Supernatural". (They've stolen OUR story, by the way! People love these boys where they should love "The Charmed sons"!)

**There is enough love for all of you!**

Wyatt: All the reviewers who complained about the disclaimers being longer then the story are right (this time)!

**I vow to be better next time… I can't help myself – I'm disclaimer-addicted (wanna join my self-help group?)…………**

* * *

**Chapter eleven / part two**

The battle for Christopher Perry Halliwells life and soul had begun…

In his body the equally powerful forces of the sisters' potion and the withdrawal-effects of the sleeping concoction fought a tenacious battle.

Chris was tumbled back and forth between the claws that tried to rip him back into unconsciousness- into his never-ending nightmares, and the calm effect of the antidote, which denied him to be taken there. The effects of this battle were severe.

The young whitelighter started to tremble as heavy spasms seemed to wreak havoc through his entire body.

His body tried desperately to succumb either to the one or the other side. None of it succeeded. Chris got more and more drained by the second till his body in the end lay eerie still.

Everyone waited for the boy to wake up but the young whitelighter seemed now to slip in and out of consciousness without as much as opening his eyes.

The strange thing about catastrophic situations is that time moves on, no matter what.

And so night broke in over the Halliwell manor.

Phoebe stifled a wide yawn while Paige lay already sprawled out on the soft carpet – sound asleep.

"I think everyone should go to bed now!" ordered Piper while stopping Leos fazed pace by grabbing his arm. She looked deeply into his solicitous eyes and told him "Ill stay with him and wake you up if anything changes!"

"You're sure?" A tired Paige asked opening one sleepy eye.

Hell, how could Piper Halliwell sleep while the saviour of her son's life fought for his own right before her eyes!

Piper nodded determined, and without much arguing everyone went straight to bed.

…

Piper stirred as she heard soft noises behind her but found it was only her sister. Phoebe had come down once again, now in ridiculous ducky pyjamas and matching slippers.

"Can't you sleep, honey?" Piper asked soft.

"No, that's not it." Phoebe stated and once more yawned wide. "I could fall asleep right on my feet, but I thought I could once again try to sense something.

Maybe if I see anything it could help us to find out how to help him?"

Piper watched silent as her sister put her hand gently on Chris forehead.

The young empath was right away hit by an immense wave of pain and sadness. Blurry pictures of Chris past started to flood her mind.

She couldn't stand this for one second longer, but was paralyzed by all the things she and apparently Chris too were going through!

Relieved she became aware of someone pulling her out. Warm hands yanked her carefully back by her shoulders, which cut the connection.

Piper held her sister in a tight hug sharing her silent tears.

"It…It was horrible…!"Phoebe whispered after some time of painful silence."

"What have you seen?" Piper asked, warily exert not to push her sister.

"There was nothing…nothing concrete…but it was simply terrible!" Silently Phoebe knew that there was no word that could approximately describe what she had seen, let alone _felt!_

"How can on human being stand so much pain…so much torment…?"

Piper couldn't answer that. The only thing she knew was that the whole family hadn't made things easier for the young man – in contrary.

"Go to bed Phoebs." Piper sighed "You tried!..."

The empathic Halliwell sister hugged the older one, mumbling a short good night´ before she vanished in her room. She would work even harder tomorrow, Phoebe thought resolutely, resolved to end their whitelighters misery.

Piper started to dim all the lights till only the shine of a pale full moon lit the now even paler looking face of a wretched child of the greater good.

"Yeah Phoebs" Piper spoke under her breath "how can one human being go through so much…"

…

Chris started to toss and turn. Nightmarish fragments sliding through his half conscious mind, making his perception some sort of surreal performance…

"…_They did let us down, Wy! But can't you see that what you're going to do won't change one damn thing!" A teenage Chris cried heatedly…_

Piper moved closer to the trembling boys face.

"…They'veletusdown…" She heard him mumble in feverish distorted words.

Tentatively she took the boys hand. To her surprise he didn't draw back but held her hand firmly.

"Who ever let you down, Christopher…" Piper whispered gently into his ear "…I never will now!" Piper could see how Chris strained features relaxed and he started to calm down.

They sat there without the slightest movement. The moonlight made them look like the finest work of white marble, shining in the darkness of the night.

For a few seconds there was peace in Christopher Halliwells troubled life…

TBC…

P.S. Thanks to all the reviewers that are not logged in, so I can't answer them directly…

YOU ARE ALL SOOOOOOOOOOOOO GREAT!...

**petites sorcieres**

**Rotem**

**Lize**

**creativhead**

**incinera**

**SF**

"**E" (I never wanted to huff you – just a li´l bit of harmless disclaimer-fun. So sorry if I did!)**

**Meco**

**Miko-of-Wind**

**fullmetaldevil**

…

**And for the ones that send signed reviews…I will always answer you reviews, because I LOVE them!**


	21. Chapter 11 : Out of the woods 3

Disclaimer:

**Once upon a time there were two brothers.**

**One light and extrovert.**

**One dark and cagily**

**One destined to be the bearer of the holy sword.**

**One to be his balance and confidant.**

**Both chosen to fight the battle between good and evil.**

**Both a pawn in the hands of the higher powers of heavens and darkness…**

Chris: Ehm, ehm, dragons!

**What?**

Chris: Is this going to be the disclaimer or "Lord of the rings" part IV???

**You are spoiling all of my fun! Bäh! One thing's for sure: If I'll ever write LotR part IV, YOU, my dear are going to become an ugly, bugging Ork.**

Chris: That's so cool!

**No! It was meant to be mean.**

Chris: Too bad, cause I like it. Always being the good one, that's straining.

**Maybe I should let your brother turn you for a while???**

Chris: I dint meant it like that…you wouldn't do that, would you??

**Watch me!**

Chris: Nooooooooooooo++hides behind the couch++

**++hears the beeping of a handy++ What are you doing??**

Chris: Calling the FHO!

**Don't you dare!**

Chris: You leave me no choice. You know where I'm coming from. I'm trained to survive!

**OK, OK, what about a truce?**

Chris: You won't let him turn me?

**I don't think so…OK promised!**

Chris: ++hangs up the handy++ Then let's get over with this, I want to see what happens next…

**Charmed don't belong to me and it would anyway be a wicked shame to make an ugly Ork out of sweet handsome Chris…**

Chris: Did you hear that Wyatt!

* * *

**Chapter eleven / part three**

****

Piper kept on holding the young mans hand as her eyes wandered out of the window into the starry night sky.

Why did she suddenly feel so familiar to her young whitelighter?

It seemed like the most natural thing, to just sit there and guard over him.

And it wasn't the slightest bit strange…!

A sudden movement, like the tiniest twitching, brought the lost in thoughts witch back into reality.

She was greeted with the brightest green orbs she'd ever seen.

"….mom??" whispered a tiny tender voice.

And there was this moment- this fraction of a second, when she wanted to answer Yes´!

But moments elapse like the sands of time and Piper answered "No Chris, It's me, Piper."

She could see as the brightness in the boys eyes faltered. There was only one thing left: Sadness.

There was a sadness that was deeper and more desperate, then she'd ever seen in any human beings eyes!

Chris let his heavy eyelids fall again and tried to comprehend what had happened.

Piper saw the young whitelighter drift back into the lurking depths of unconsciousness.

She wasn't quite sure but her instinct told her that she should not let him fall asleep again.

The resolute witch was resolved to try her best to keep from that.

"Hey Chris, don't fall asleep on me now. Do you hear me!?"

Chris didn't like the thought of fighting to open his tired eyes once again. The first time had been that strenuous.

He'd only managed to bring up that much strength, because he thought he would see his mom – even if there was a chance that he would find himself in the afterlife - that did not matter to him.

But this was definitely not the mom he remembered.

He had to sate in some kind of relief that all physical pain had gone. For Christopher Halliwell being free from any pain was a rare feeling throughout the last years of his life.

There was a warm and relaxing sensation that filled his body now. Even his broken arm did not hurt anymore and the annoying cast had vanished.

But where was he? And the bigger question was: How did he get here?

His curiosity won and he summoned up his strength to get away from the beguiling abyss of unconsciousness.

He forced his eyes open once more.

"Where….? How…??" Chris croaked, bewildered of the sound of his own voice.

Piper, who still held the boys hand, pressed it heartening.

She felt the heated palm of the boys almost imperceptible trembling hand trying to rejoin the gesture.

"That's better! Stay with me!"

She had to keep the boy awake at least as long as the potion, her sisters had made needed to fight the withdrawal effects of the sleep drought he had taken.

For the first time since they'd met, Piper saw their young whitelighter with his emotional guards down.

There were no masks left to protect his features from being seen what they were- Piper looked into the tender, pain filled and ever so vulnerable face of a boy.

How could she have missed to see that?

How could he have hidden this from her for the last six month?

And the most important question of all: How much more secrets were hidden behind the usually so never inscrutable features of Christopher Perry?

She looked deep into the boys eyes, trying to fathom their secret.

And she knew it was there, right in the endless green orbs…

Heavy eyelids began slowly to fall right in the middle of Pipers musings.

"NO, no, no, no, no!" Piper whispered and cupped the tired face before her with her left, her thumb stroking gently over the flushed and feverish cheek.

Chris felt his eyes closing unintentionally.

He didn't fight them anymore.

Why should he?

To look at _Piper_?

To look into the eyes that only watched him with distrustfulness and sometimes pure hate since he came back?

But now something had changed within them. They looked at him almost tenderly, with such a huge amount of sympathy and compassion.

They were…there were his mothers eyes…almost!

A warm feeling began to spread through his body.

Maybe now something would change?

But Chris had learned out of bitter experience, to never set his hopes to high.

…

High hopes or deep despairs, the youngest Halliwells body succumbed to what it needed most at the time…

Sleep!

…

There was a row in the kitchen as Chris came to his senses next time.

Every family member seemed to gather in the room, where Piper updated everyone of the condition of the actual main subject of worry, their young whitelighter.

The scent of fresh brewed coffee and toasted bread hung in the air of the living room and engulfed Chris with a pleasant and homelike feeling.

For the first time since long ago the boys stomach started to notify itself loudly.

Despite of his gnawing hunger, he held his eyes shut tight.

Just one moment longer…

He wanted to relish just a little more in the feelings of waking up at home with his family safe and sound (and best of all complete!) in the neighbour room, chatting over their breakfast.

Soft voices got through the open door.

Chris couldn't completely make out what was said but the substance of the words were not to misapprehend.

They were words of concerned worry and care. No one was angry or annoyed and yes – they were unmistakably talking about him.

The young whitelighter took in a deep relaxed breath.

Maybe the things wouldn't turn out so bad after all, maybe…

No! He forbade himself to go there.

He couldn't tell them.

The truth would hurt them – hurt him.

He could never let that happen.

Slowly Chris stood up and made his way on unsteady legs to the kitchen.

…

Everyone was so deeply entangled into discussion that they first didn't notice his emergence…

"He's so vulnerable at the moment, and I'm happy that he'd make it out of his comatose state. So just get off of his back, Leo!" Piper stated, a deep fold on her forehead revealing her worries.

"But this has to be discussed! He will have to justify himself to us _and _to the elders as well!" Leo's calm demeanour gave away more and more to his deep lying distrust and anger.

"No he doesn't! He is a great whitelighter as long as you and those stupid elders did not get involved. All you ever cause him is pain. So why can't you only let it be good with that. I'm sure he'll talk to us at given time.

Don't you start your little pressure game ever again on him!" Piper started with a growing voice.

"But he's far to labile to protect someone as important as the Charmed ones and the twice blessed!"

Pipers eyes shot daggers.

"Hands up girls. Who is with me in this matter? Has Chris ever let us down? Do we still want him as our whitelighter?"

Phoebe hand went up as well as Paige's.

The latter's hand suddenly turned into a pointing gesture at the figure leaning heavy in the door-frame. "Ehhm, Piper…!" Paige hemmed.

"Hey" Chris caught the speakers eyes - finally found. He looked shyly up out of tousled, far too long bangs, unsure what to say.

"Chris! Hey…you're up!" Piper overwhelmed the boy with one of her light up the room smiles´, which by the way her youngest had inherited. But they never had given it any cause to come to life.

Chris mirrored Pipers smile in his own, now more restrainedly ways, not sure if he would ever be able to smile in _that _way again…

**TBC…**


	22. Chapter 12: Painful revealments

Disclaimer:

**Chris!**

…

**Chriiis!**

…

**CHRIS!!!**

Chris(++holds his ears humming++) LALALALALALAaaaaaa! I can´t even hear you…

**Come on Chris I need you! The story has to go on.**

Chris: No! You are telling them, am I right? You are going to tell them everything!

**But Chris, that's the point of this story…**

Chris: But that's not fair, why don't we tell them everything about you? Like the one time…

**(dragons ++putting her hand over his mouth++) I don't think anyone wants to hear about that…**

Chris: Oh yeah, my ass! So you are allowed to tell everything and I? And by the way Wyatt is pissed off too. He's been totally abandoned in the last part of the story! So why don't you focus on him for some time. Would definitely please his king-sized ego for a while!

Wyatt: Chris, I heard that!

Chris(++wincing++): Where have the good old times gone, when orbing made that nice little jingling sound, which preserved you from sneaking up, eavesdropping family members…?

Wyatt: It was annoying so I switched it on mute a long time ago…

**Wyatt cant you convince your brother to do the next chapter?**

Wyatt: Sure, why not?

Chris: It's the one about…nah, you know…the one with my eighteenth birthday…

Wyatt: Oh that one…

Chris: Exactly, so what about the chance to change our past a bit…

**You can't do that!**

Chris: Watch me! I did it once; I'm going to do it again!

**But the people should have a chance to come to know it. It's made you who you are…**

Wyatt: Do we really have to? I'm not overly proud of this!

**I think I want to do it, but I swear to be sensitive with this.**

Chris: OK, but do not expect me to do the disclaimer for this one! I'd still rather sit here with my eyes closed and a nice humming in my ears, pretending it never happened…

Wyatt: I think I'll join him… Highway to hell?

Chris(++nods and starts humming again++)

**I understand them, it hasn't been their best times and what can I do, **

**I don't own them, **

**and I'm a total fan of the human-rights…even for fiction-characters…**

**OK, OK chapter twelve hasn't much to do with that, but what can I say, that's the way they were in the "dark future"…Chris will change that…hopefully!**

* * *

_**Chapter twelve: Painful revealments **_

The days after Wyatt's saving and Chris´ recovery went by in amazing eventlessness. It was almost like the demons had given the charmed ones some sort of hiatus. Chris quickly regained strength, and had to admit to himself, that he was enjoying the new situation. Leo was in a huff and had not turned up (or down???) again, and the sisters now trusted him more. They even started to like him a bit. Still, as much as the sisters had promised to one another, they couldn't stop trying to get behind his secrets…

Chris was sitting on the floor his back leaning on the shabby old couch in P3´s backroom. While his head rested on the musty furniture his hands tapped restless on drawn up knees. He was once again breeding over his encounter with the unfathomable Tia.

She'd said that it still wasn't over, that the biggest fight for his brother's soul was yet to come. The young whitelighter had promised not to give up - easier said then done! But his promise made him work even harder than he did before.

The second thing that had a hold on Chris´ thoughts was more personal.

Should he reveal his identity to the sisters or not? He was in big doubts about that. Deep inside of him he felt Tia's advice was good and wise. But a life of doubts and deep disappointments had left his marks on his soul. He didn't know if he could let his last safety barriers down.

He was so used to let nothing touch his soul again that he didn't knew if he was still able to do it and if he could bare maybe another hurting.

Meanwhile something was going on between the sisters.

"Look what I've purchased for Chris!" Phoebe tried to get the attendance of her little sister.

"Don't you think these are the coolest shirts you've ever seen?"

Paige looked sceptically at the shirts. "Short sleeves, are you sure? I've never seen Chris wearing short sleeved shirts!"

Phoebe was some sort of offended. "But it's summer out there! It's really time for our neurotic demon-addicted whitelighter to go out into the sunshine, and get some colour on his face. He's starting to look like a freaking zombie, always hanging over that damn book of shadows.

These T´s are just something like a thank you for saving Wyatt. It's been so long since we had some real matter to party. I would like to have a birthday party for Chris. But our mystery-master didn't even tell us his birth date. Maybe we should try your little truth-spell once more…?!"

"Don't you dare Phoebe!" Paige scolded her.

"So let's simply pretend that we celebrate something like a birthday party tonight. Or a "thanks for saving our toddler" party. As you like to tell it - Time for presents, lots of eating and hanging around at P3. OK, Paige? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease, tonight a nice party to cheer up our little depressed guarding angel! Allright?"

Paige looked indecisively "You know, Piper will definitely not like this!"

"Please Paige play along! I just love the idea to see him smile again. He's always so serious!"

"To serious if you asked me – but wait, you asked me!" Paige said smiling "Ok", she sighed "party tonight!"

This evening the sisters all gathered in the living room.

Piper was not quite enthusiastic about her sister's idea, but had managed to prepare a nice little dinner after the instant begging of the two. So as everything was prepared, Phoebe started yelling for Chris, as if there was a life or dead situation.

The young witch-whitelighter appeared immediately in blue white orbs, his body tensed to start fighting whatever appeared to threaten the sisters. "What the he…!?"

Chris got angry as he became aware of the situation.

He really had no time for such silly stuff as a party – there was a whole world on the edge.

But some part of him was although touched.

They liked him at least a little bit.

Liked him not only because he was family (now he was little glad that he hadn't told), no they liked him for who he was.

This thought managed to bring a shy smile again up on the ever so serious face of the boy.

"Allright", he said sighing "you three win! Let's have an evening off of duties and party – a bit."

They were all happy to see Chris relaxing, even if it would most certainly be only for a few hours.

Chris enjoyed the pleasant feeling of being pampered by his family.

After an excellent dinner – Chris couldn't remember eating that much in the last…maybe ten years! – they all lolled on the couches in the living room not able to move even an inch.

After some moments of sleepy laziness Phoebe jumped up beaming.

"I almost forgot something!" she smiled and gave Chris the package wrapped in red and black paper, with a little silver moon tied to its ribbon.

"This is especially for you, Chris."

Chris was surprised.

Presents without matter?

He was a bit suspicious, but then again as he looked into the glowing eyes of the Charmed- ones, he was overwhelmed of a warm safe feeling he once used to have during his childhood.

His mom used to hide presents she had bought for her sons that well, that she wasn't able to find all of them on their birthdays or Christmas.

So it could happen that she came up with a present on a just ordinary day, because she had found it again.

He and Wyatt loved this little foible of their mom…

Chris started to open the present smiling and lost in his little childhood memory.

As he wrapped out the T-shirts his smile froze.

Suddenly the whole room became silent, and Chris immediately changed to his usual blank mask.

But inside of him raged a storm of emotions.

No please´, he thought.

This could not be…

Not now…just when he started to feel a little happy!´

The women saw the change expression on Chris face, but misinterpreted it.

"Told you he would not like them!" Paige mumbled to Phoebe.

"Rubbish! He's just shy" Phoebe whispered back, before she started to get in action.

She made a quick move and began to pull out Chris long sleeved shirt.

"Come on try it on, don't be shy. You're a pretty boy, its time to go out and show it to the world. There are a lot of nice girls out there. GIRLS……you remember them, Chris?!"

Phoebe shattered on while she managed to pull out the young whitelighters shirt completely, without noticing the desperate horrified look that came up on the boys face.

Do something!´ Chris mind screamed, but he was shocked of Phoebes actions. He wasn't able to react; his whole body was paralyzed and benumbed in fear.

Orb!´ He thought, just orb away! Don't let them see, don't let them ask!

No, it's too painful! ´

It was already too late. There was an awful silence in the room, then a deep common gasp, as the sisters looked at the bare back and arms of their whitelighter.

Chris looked deeply hurt and so afraid as he tried to back up and cover at least his arms.

The state of the young ones body terrified the sisters.

All over the arms and back of the boy were scars. Big ugly scars like the result of things no one should do to another living being. There were the reminders of cuts and burnings, whipmarks and… things the sisters couldn't imagine. All of this screamed torture in some almost physical painful way.

They were all shock transfixed as Chris took his chance and orbed away.

One single tear had fallen from Chris cheek.

He was already gone as the tear hit the neatly folded shirts that remained forlorn on the couch.

…

Chris threw himself into the old cushions of "his" couch in the backroom of P3. This was all so unfair. Hot tears now streamed down his face. Why couldn't he be happy just for one damn moment? Did the greater good hate him that much?

Crying his heart out, Chris fell fast into an exhausted sleep.

He didn't even notice Paige orbing in with her sisters. They looked at the sleeping kid with pity and concern not quite sure how to react.

Piper sat down next to the curled up whitelighter, still staring with disbelief at the disastrous state that Chris was in.

Who could have done this to him; he was still almost a boy? (She didn't like the little voice in the back of her head that it could have something to do with her sweet little angel turning evil in the future!)

And why did nobody heal him?

Was there really nobody in the future left who took care of Chris?

Phoebe knelt down besides Chris, to take a closer look at the brown-haired youngster, who was now writhing and moaning in his sleep, while she thought about whether to call for Leo or not.

She was covering the shivering boy with a blanket, as a red scar on Chris right shoulder blade caught her attention.

This wound seemed not to have healed as well as the others, even if it had to be an older one.

Thinking of how the scars of someone tell about his life, Phoebe thought of what a poor cruel life this body told, while she absent-mindly touched the hot burning mark.

Chris winced and shuddered slightly under the touch.

The emphatic sister had better not made contact with Chris, because she was immediately pulled into his back-flashing dreams…

TBC…


	23. Chapter 12: Painful revealments 2

**Disclaimer:**

Halliwell house rules for Christmas:

1. Orbing-lights are not to be used as alternative energy to lighten the Christmas tree.

2. Living Fairies and Gnomes are NO Christmas decorations (Shame on Harry Potter!!!).

3. Common demon hunting is not counting as an equivalent replacement of the family Christmas celebration.

4. Potions are not to be used to spike the eggnog

5. Aunts who do silly things after drinking said spiked eggnog are not to be filmed or photographed.

6. Received presents are not to be transformed magically into something more likable.

7. In no way there is to be summoned Santa to impress younger siblings.

8. Demons are no presents (no matter how small they are) they will not be accepted as a pet.

9. Never enrage your mother while cooking the Christmas dinner.

10. Really, really never offer to go get take-out Christmas dinner, after you removed the blown up turkey from all the kitchen walls, unless you want a third door or a nice and BIG serving hatch in your kitchen.

11. Don't put "_Chris and Wyatt_" on your Christmas list….you will never get them, cause **I don't own them** either…but maybe we could first summon Santa…and he will…

**Chris: **You forgot about rule number seven!

**Oh that's true. Damn!**

**Wyatt: **We never would become presents anyway. And by the way I abolished this feast in the future. Now there is "Wyatt's-day"…On which everyone is showing their affection by giving me presents. Yeah, being the source rocks!

**Chris:** Haven't we spoken of king-sized egos in the last disclaimer???? There you go!

**Wyatt:** Someday I'm going to make "The sources rules for Christmas"!

…**But not today…lets do the seasons greetings, boys.**

**All together:** We wish you a merry and peaceful Christmas time wherever you are, or what ever you believe in. Let your faith be something to bring the people closer together and not to produce hate.

* * *

**Chapter twelve / Part two (flashback)**

…_Chris couldn't believe it:_

_He was caught – again!_

_How could this happen? Just at the moment he was feeling something like a bit of strange kind of "normality" and the slightest happiness, if something like this still was able to exist in a world that Wyatt had turned into an apocalyptic nightmare with his quest for world domination. _

_He must have let his guard slip down for a second as he made his way back to their secret hideout where Bianca waited for him with a birthday dinner._

_Yes, today was his birthday, and now he was struggling between two brute demos that dragged him without mercy into one of Wyatt's high security cells._

_Wyatt was already waiting for him…_

"_There comes the birthday-boy!" The source sneered as the demons chained Chris to the cold and scuzzy wall._

"_Welcome to our little party, brother! Surprise, surprise!"_

_Chris had some very angry sarcastic comments rolling of his tongue, but he preferred to stay silent, to not make the situation even worse than it seemed now._

_But could it really getting any worse?_

_Oh yes, it could, as the boy knew out of own experience._

"_So you prefer to be silent? Obstinate jackass! ... Alright then, let me tell you the reason why you are here today._

_Well for one, to make something crystal clear: I get you little brother – every time I want to! Everywhere!"_

_Chris smiled inwardly at this, for he remembered all the times he and Bianca played tricks on Wyatt and his minions. He could barely imagine how raging with anger his brother must have been._

"_For second, you became eighteen just today time to end your cherishing of illusions._

_Your playtime is over now, pretty boy. After our last little brotherly bonding time I decided to give you some space. I hope you had fun with your rebellious resistance games. Oh yeah, I always knew! Especially the stunt you played by rescuing all the children. It wasn't easy to stop my demons from killing you at that one. Cost me some of my best underlings, you know!_

_Don't you ever underestimate me, Christopher._

_For some time I was highly amused of your hide and seek games._

_And your demon killing actions helped me keeping the fear of my minions on a level to let them always feel that they needed my guidance and protection. Well done bro!_

_But now its time to make some final decision!_

_You're grown up now and not bound to our dear deceased family's moralities anymore._

_So I ask you one deathly-serious question today again…_

_Will you join me now?" _

_Thoughts were racing in the young whitelighters head at lightning speed. What should he say, what do now?_

_The last thing he wanted to do ever in his life was playing a part in Wyatt's evil tyrant game._

_But if he denied, how much life of his would be left? Was his brother willing and able to kill him?_

_He felt panic arise in his chest. If he refused to join, this was going to be a hell of a painful experience. Former "chats" with his brother had made this more then clear._

_But although he couldn't betray everything he lived for._

_Damn! Where were the elders and their greater good when you needed them?_

_He got angry at that thought – not good, but it helped Chris to overcome his fears._

_The young whitelighter straightened in his bindings and looked firm into the sources eyes – ready to stand up and be counted._

_With a clear unwavering voice he started his creed._

"_Wyatt I made my decision a long time ago. And even if I was young then, it doesn't devalue my confessions._

_I…will never…ever…join…YOU!_

_You are on the evil side,_

_and there you are, even if you try to deny it with your "It's all about power" attitude. CRAP!!!_

_You know there will always be a place for you, if you come to your senses._

_We'll fix this Wyatt, I know together we can!_

_But until then I can't find my brother anymore behind this monstrous evil mask."_

_It seemed to Chris as if he saw his brother - no the source, from now on only the source- wincing the slightest bit, but this could have been imagination as well._

"_O… K." Said Wyatt with a murderous grin. "You made your choice, now live with the consequences!"_

_The source turned to his demons and nodded slightly._

"_Enjoy your birthday present!" It laughed as the entity that once had been Wyatt Mathew Halliwell left the cell._

_Chris knew that his brother was lost, and that he was doomed to be dragged down with him into the evil abyss that had already devoured the twice blessed._

_Soon Chris agonized cries could be heard through the whole building…_

…

_Two hours later Wyatt re-entered the place of his brother's ordeal again._

_He watched a while as his demons were visibly having fun by torturing the soul out of his little brother._

"_No more sarcasm left?" One of the demons asked lifting Chris limply hanging head by his hairs._

"_Don't you dare to get unconscious yet! We have ways to wake you up, as you know!"_

_With that he lifted his whip again to add one more wound to the severely beaten body of the young Halliwell._

_Wyatt pushed the arm of the demon down._

"_That's enough, stop it now!"_

_Through the raging pain that blurred his vision calling him into comfortable unconsciousness and the tears that had at least ceased to flow, cause there was not a single tear left to cry, Chris managed barely to look up. _

_He found no redemption in the sources eyes – in contrary, but Chris mind was now so numb and devastated that nothing could frighten him anymore._

_If this should be the time to go, he would go – that simple._

_It were, despite of how complicated his life was, the essential things that were always simple in the end._

_Yes or no._

_Good or evil._

_Living or dying._

_Simple as that._

_He only hoped his brother – no the source! Why did his mind refuse to process that?_

_Yes, he only hoped that Wyatt would do him the act of grace of a fast death._

_But by the look into his brothers eyes there would come some more._

_The only thing he regretted was placed securely in the right pocket of his worn Jeans._

_He'd never given Bianca the ring, never…_

_Rude he was ripped out of his thoughts by the sources voice._

"_Was this worth everything?" Wyatt asked almost softly._

_Chris closed his eyes. _

_He saw Bianca smiling warmly at him. He saw the people he'd saved over the last years. The children they had freed out of Wyatt's claws. The smiling faces of his family…the memories of better days gone by._

_Chris opened his eyes and with something quite near to a weak smile on his lips he answered his brothers, actually rather rhetoric question in a voice so fragile...just upon a whisper._

"_Yes!"_

_TBC…_


	24. Chapter 12: Painful revealments 3

**Disclaimer:**

**Wyatt:** Chris, you know…In the last chapter…I mean…I'm not that evil, am I ???

**Chris:** Oh yes you were that evil, brother! But if I will succeed, all of this will only be a bad memory. It will never really happen. Those are the benefits of time travelling.

**Wyatt:** But if you don't?

**Chris:** Oh then we will only have to destroy some scripts of charmed season six, and a few hundred-thousand copies of the seasons DVDs, and alter a few hundred memories of actors and set staff and…

**Wyatt:** But Chris we are real!

**Chris:** OK, forget the script and TV staff things. Man, fanfiction is really disturbing sometimes. Of course we are real. If we were not I could do this…++kicks Wyatt in the shin++

**Wyatt:** Ouch!!! Are you nuts??

**Chris:** …and you wouldn't feel a thing of it. Did you get the idea? We are real!

**Wyatt:** So we are real, but the things dragons writes about us are fiction, and even if they were real they would be in the future, so they only could be real some day if you take in account that we are real. Man bro, that's confusing.

**You can say that again, Wy! So why still bother your pretty heads about something, and not starting with the next part of the story??**

**Both:** Hey dragons!

**Hey boys!**

**Chris:** So if you can do everything with your story, why are you so cruel????

**Maybe I spend too much time with Wyatt, a.k.a. the source++eyes gleam red+++**

**Chris:** Oh no! I have really bad vibes about this one!!!

**Don't worry boys. At least**

**I don't own you. **

**Everything will be fine in the end, because I have to give you back unharmed.**

**So trust me++VEG++**

…

**And now Chris hide, cause it's going to get ugly…Could it get worse…yes it could…!**

* * *

**Chapter twelve / part three:**

_There was a long silence between the brothers. The tension was so tangible that the demons in the room didn't even dared to breathe._

_Forces seemed to fight in the sources mind._

_Wyatt knew that this was the moment when he had to go through with his threads, to make an example out of this._

_Everyone would know that NO-ONE, even the sources brother would go against him unpunished._

_Chris would learn-_

_They ALL would learn._

_The source had ultimately lost its patience, and unfortunately Christopher Halliwells "legendary luck" had put him right now into the path of its unappeasable wrath._

_Wyatt glared evilly at the beaten and worn out boy. Every glimpse of human traits that might have existed in him when he had looked into his brothers eyes was gone._

_It seemed that the eternal bond that had welded together generations of Warrens and Halliwells would end here - just this moment shattered for ever._

"_I have something for you to make your gift last…!" The source sneered bare of any compassion for the pained soul before it._

"_I made this especially for you Christopher!"_

_With that it took out a vial with a muddy green glowing content, and poured it down over Chris already maltreated back and arms._

_It hurt like nothing the young whitelighter had experienced before. The burning of the potion, which felt like it gnawed itself right down to the core of his soul, did not wear of but rather became more intense from second to second._

_The urge to scream out his pain became overwhelming, but there was simply no strength left to do so._

_The youngest Halliwell could merely wince in his chains and cling tenuously to life._

_He took ragged breaths while he tried to hold his brothers stare – fighting the wars of willpower to the bitter end._

"_This is to let you never…ever…forget who is the one and only dominator of power in this!" The source gave a dirty laugh while he imitated Chris, in his eyes pathetic, speech._

_Wyatt pushed his sneering mouth as near as he could next to the boys face._

_Chris could feel the hot breath in his neck as his tormentor whispered in his ear._

"_So who is your overlord, my little wannabe-revolutionist?"_

_The picture was so piteously, that even the demons hoped that the young whitelighter would finally give in. But Chris remained silent._

"_So he needs a little more persuasion!" Wyatt laughed nasty and sent angry glances to his demons, which at last brought them to join in with their growling laughter._

"_So let me leastwise sign our little fine work of art. A literally "still-work" it is!"_

_With that the source put the palm of his hand on Chris right shoulder blade._

_White hot pain shot into it and over flooded his whole body._

_Before he could embrace the warm blackness of unconsciousness once more Chris heard his brother's vile voice whisper "Happy birthday, pretty boy – oh wait, the girls will seriously have to think about a new nickname for you from now on!"_

…

_Chris awoke some times later as the demons removed the chains and he hit the ground with a nasty thud_

"_Just set him free" he heard Wyatt's voice, now cool and indifferent._

"_I will get him back here whenever I want…And I will get you back Christopher! This isn't over yet. Not until you join me!"_

_Wyatt left the room as if nothing had ever happened._

_The two demons picked Chris up and dragged him out where they simply dumped him on the street._

_After some whispering and sniggering one of the demons threw an old shabby blanket after the broken whitelighter._

"_Better wear this" he growled laughing "…or you scare the poor demons on the streets to death with your appearance!"_

_With these words the demons left and shut the massive steel portal of the building, which marked the same big "W" as now did Chris´ throbbing right shoulder…_

…

_For a long time Chris lay there on the hot pavement, unable to move or even think._

_Despite the heat outside, as he lay in the full burning afternoon sun, which had brought the asphalt with their unblocked rays over the day to almost unbearable temperatures, he had wrapped himself into the old blanket. Once more in his miserable life he wished to become simply invisible._

_After what could have been minutes, as good as hours or years Chris carefully began to move again._

_The only impulse at the moment was to get away from Wyatt. As far as he could!_

_He took two or three unstable steps – then he started to run._

"_Haven't we been here before?" his hazy mind asked - Bianca's and his sort of "running gag". _

_The two of them found themselves ever and ever again in the same miserable situations - it sometimes seemed like a cruel time-loop of destiny. _

_Running from the source, fighting for their lives, hiding in dingy places, and always the same phrase:"Haven't we been here before?" For the teens this was sort of their mantra showing that it would always go on, no matter what._

…

_There was only running – he would run till his legs gave in beneath him, which was, truth to be told, not far in his current miserable state._

_Chris felt sweat and blood trickle down his back and arms and his breathing became more and more laboured._

_Then he fell…_

…

_It was no big dramatic fall of a hero. In contrary, he simply broke down in the middle of a glowing hot alley beneath a house entrance, which somebody had made his personal garbage dump._

_Down in the dumps, that's where it always ended somehow…_

…_but before he hit the ground, Chris felt strong arms gently catch him._

"_Dad, what…" were his last words before his world went black again…_

_TBC…_


	25. Chapter 12: Painfull revealments 4

**Disclaimer:**

**Everyone ready for the BIG!!!! moment? If you know what I mean.**

**Chris:** NOOOO! You can't do that…OK you can, but pleeeeeeease don't do it.

You already told them about the evil-birthday-thing and now…that!

It's destroying my mission, you know.

Wyatt, say something!

**Wyatt:** Something!

**Chris:** Very funny and that original – almost ingenious. You know what, you deserve the sources title. Your jokes are REALLY terrifying.

You out there I'm apologizing if you just died of laughter. It's really hard to keep up with Jerry Lewis Junior over here.

**Wyatt: **That was so funny…..NOT!

**Chris:** ++sticks out tongue++

**Wyatt: **++glares evilly++

**Chris: **++makes an image-frame-seeking gesture with both hands++

Yeah honey give me that look, come on…give me more of the source…you know your fans loooooove that!

**Wyatt:** You are so dead, brother++pursues a squeaking, very infantile Chris++

**You won't kill him Wyatt! You hear me? Don't even touch a hair on his head, or I swear by the book of shadows I'll bring back Cole to replace you!!!...**

**++runs after the boys, trying to prevent the worst…++**

**I swear, sometimes you should be happy that I don´t own you...!!!**

* * *

**Chapter twelve / part four**

…_Bianca stared terrified as Leo placed Chris limp body gently on the bed in their – yet not so secret anymore – hideout._

_She was horrified as she saw her biggest fears come true…_

…_After she'd waited hours and Chris had not appeared for his birthday dinner, she had started to search for him. But the young whitelighter was nowhere to find._

_She became so desperate that she had called for Leo, though she knew Chris would hate it. He had not seen his father for years now, and in Chris´ opinion things should stay this way – even on his eighteenth birthday. Too deep were the disappointments of the youngest son when it came to his father. Chris had sworn to himself that he would never give his father the opportunity to let him down again. And Bianca never questioned this decision – till now…_

_She was worried out of her mind and couldn't find another way out. So she called for the elder. She would find a way to deal wit her boyfriend's anger afterwards._

_And the progress of events pointed out that she did darn right. _

_First Leo couldn't sense his son, because of the protection-spells over Wyatt's building, but as soon as Chris was outside on the streets again, he orbed to him immediately. Bianca was furious as she recognized that the elders seemed to have obviously found a way to evade the anti-orbing-spell the whole city was under, without sharing their knowledge with the remaining whitelighters and the resistance. Yet, this had to be discussed another time. _

_Now she was relieved that Chris was at least barely alive._

_Leo examined Chris various wounds carefully and felt the anger against his oldest son rise…_

…_how could he…!_

_But now he needed to entirely concentrate on the healing. Hatred and anger would disturb his powers. _

_The elder placed his hands over his youngest and almost instantly the warm golden glow encompassed Chris´ body._

_The elder worked his magic till the bleedings stopped and the wounds started to close, but something felt definitely wrong. _

_Leo and Bianca stared in silent disbelieve as the elder lifted his hands and the glow subsided._

_A whole lot of nasty, ugly scars that refused to vanish defaced the boy's body._

_The wound that was shaped as a big red-burning "W" even resisted any healing attempt._

_Leo simply wasn't able to heal that one, and they both could only presage, how tremendously it had to hurt._

_Leo sat crying about how twisted his family had become and how much his brave little son – yes Christopher would always be his "little" son – had to suffer under his monstrous cruel brother, while the remaining elders let him not even come near his sons._

_This would change – NOW!_

_He had managed to escape the elders watch and he would find a way to stay here, where he was really needed._

_This time forever!_

"_Leo" Bianca asked softly "Is there nothing else you can do for him? This is…this is so…"_

_The elder only shook his head tiredly. _

_His powers were jaded and he cursed the greater goods for unifying that much power in his eldest son that even an elder couldn't undo their devastating effects._

"_Could you do me a favour and leave Chris and me alone? Just for a while, Leo?_

_I think he will need some time to recover from all this – if ever._

_I promise I will call you when he's ready to see you again._

_Just give him some time, please!"_

_Silently nodding in agreement, Leo kissed the forehead of his now sleeping son and orbed away._

_Bianca sat there for a while holding Chris hand. She feared the moment he would wake up and start to realize the ferocious changes this day had brought over him._

_She stood up again and put the cold remains of the birthday dinner away. _

_Remainders of another life._

_The war they both had fought so hard had reached a whole new stage…_

…_and she was deadly determined to win it, no matter what it would cost her!_

_Heartbroken she pushed the birthday present still in its improvised wrapping into the dustbin. She'd managed to organize it on the black market, the only way to get anything you needed these days._

_There was no use for his new T-shirt anymore she realized as she finally broke down crying besides him…_

…

…"Oh my…what have…what have we done!" was all Phoebe could get out as her sisters picked her up from the ground where she had fallen as the connection with the young whitelighter broke.

Tears were overflowing her eyes.

Chris awoke with a start. As soon as his eyes got a glimpse of Phoebe, he knew…

"Chris" Phoebe choked out. Her first urge was to hug the boy, who in response to this looked like a hunted deer.

The horrified young whitelighter tried in a last desperate attempt to cover himself with his blanket as panic started to rise in his chest.

"We will fix this, Chris, I swear, we will find a way to fix this…!" Phoebe told, while tears streamed by now unrestrained down her reddened cheeks.

Chris was pale as chalk as he backed away from the empathic sisters' outstretched hand.

"Don't!" he whispered while his oldest aunt moved closer, unstoppable as ever when she had set her mind on something.

Chris wailed weakly but at this point it was already too late.

The boy slid without anymore power to defend himself into his aunt's gentle embrace, and her soft hand on his back rubbed the last blockades out of him in slow circles.

Chris tried his hardest not to cry now, but couldn't stop a deep heartfelt sob to escape him. How he longed to let go of all his pain!

"Shhhh!" all of Phoebe's empathic powers kicked in at once and seemed to melt with the ones of her nephew.

"We will fix this. We find a way…!" she repeated over and over…

Phoebe felt suddenly a so overwhelming urge to protect her nephew, that she would do anything to find a way to heal him…

WAIT…! NEPHEW…?????????????

What in all the world was she thinking here?

Over the now still form of the young whitelighter she locked eyes with her sisters.

"My god!" she whispered her voice raw of tears as the scales fell suddenly from her eyes.

"Phoebe" a tiny voice came hesitant over her shoulder.

"Yeah, sweetie?"

"Can you…can you please let me alone for some time?!"

"But…"

"Please, Phoebe, I need…! I just…I can't…please…I can't!"

Phoebe felt how overwhelmed the boy was of the whole situation. He couldn't handle this right now.

Chris sounded so devastated and the empathic Charmed one felt that he was barely able not to loose it completely.

He was in no state to cope with them and all of their questions now.

She felt that every question now would be a question too much.

"You will not do anything stupid, will you?"

Chris features softened "Never would!" He sighed and Phoebe felt that he was sincere.

"But you will stay here, promised?" The anxious feared that the boy wouldn't be able to protect himself when he orbed god knows where in his current state.

"No" He answered honestly, which made Phoebes "overprotective-aunt-alert" go haywire.

Paige whereas instinctively knew that he would need a place to clear his head now and sort things through.

Whatever Chris and her older sister had gone through in his dreams was definitely not pretty.

"So please at least don't block us honey" She remarked, trying to be rational. "I'm just worried enough for you the way it is now!"

"Promised" He told as he grabbed his shirt the same moment he started to dissolve in tiny blue white orbs.

"Do you think we did the right thing?" Paige asked.

"I'm sure he told the truth; so lets orb back home…

…We have to talk!"

"Piper!" Paige exclaimed as she waited for the oldest sister to take her hand to be orbed home. She got no response…

"Piiiiiiiiiipeeeeeeeeeeeer!" Paige said in a singsong voice while waving her free hand before her sister's eyes.

Piper still looked thunderstruck at the place where the boy had lain only minutes ago.

How could she have missed that…

All the time it had been there…!

"Piper! Snap out of it!" Phoebe tried it with a soft nudge. But nothing…

Both sisters stared at Pipers dreamlike expression.

"He…is my son!" She said finally.

And it was no question. It was as statement!...

TBC…


	26. Chapter 12: Painful revealments 5

**Disclaimer:**

**Chris:** Tishoooooooooooo!

**Bless you!**

**Chris:** Well thanks but that's NOT what I need right now. Wyyyyyyyyyyyyyatt come on, just a little healing over here. I planned to die heroic with…let's say…98 or something around that age. Come on bro…tishooooooooooooooooooooo!

**Bless you!! **

**Chris:** Wyyyyyyy!

**Wyatt:** You know I can't heal anymore…

**Chris:** …but a little magic…

**Wyatt:** …would be against all your little personal gain- rules!

**Chris:** Muuuaaaaaaaaah!

**Wyatt:** Don't wail, just simply join me…no rules on my side, you know.

**Don't tempt him Wyatt! He's suffering enough from the flu without your help.**

**Chris:** Suffering from flu and being evil that would be too much, even for a whitelighter. But just tell me the flu itself is evil isn't it?

**Wyatt:** Dream on brother! I've got better plans then making the whole world sneeze and cough.

**Enough bantering for now +puts a thermometer in Chris mouth+ You, Wyatt – go into the kitchen and make some tea…**

**Chris:** Mo Mamomil-ea!

**Wyatt:** Pardon?

**Go to bed Chris! You're out of the game for at least a weak!**

**Chris:** +spits out the thermometer+ No way I've got to…

**No discussion **

**I know I don't own you **

**But you're running a high fever and if you are not under that blanket in five, I'll send your brother over to sing you a lullaby!**

**Chris:** NOOOOOOOO! Everything but not that+jumps into bed+

**Wyatt:** +calls out of the kitchen+ But I have a wonderful singing voice…

…_Hush little Chrissie don't say a word_

_or the source gona kill you, you stupid nerd_

_and when you don't get better very fast_

_Good ol´ Wy´s gona kick you out of bed with a power-blast…_

**All:** WYATT!

**Wyatt:** OK, OK here's the camomile-tea!

**Chris:** Urrrrrrrrrgh!

(**A/N:** Guess who's having the flu right now!!! Ohhhhhhhh yes, it's ME!)

* * *

**Chapter twelve/ part five:**

...Chris appeared at the hilltop only seconds later.

So this was it – Phoebe knew everything! And if she did…you can imagine the rest!

Chris was at the end of all his plans.

How could he go on like before – now!

The avalanche had been started and it was rolling downwards taking all his carefully build up precautions with it.

It was only a matter of time till everyone knew who he was…

…Paige and Phoebe would become "aunt P" and "aunty Phoebs" and Piper – yes Piper would transform almost unnoticeably into "mom".

Then there was also Leo to aggravate the matters.

Well, he would stay… Leo as he ever was and most probably ever would be.

Chris was convinced that the moment his genitor knew of his as well as baby Chris´ existence, everything would go from bad to worse.

The circle of denial, neglect and at long last total disown would start anew. Something he leastwise would like to have spared yet unborn innocent baby-Chris.

He thought it would be better for him to have no father at all, then having the sorry excuse of a father, Leo portrayed most of his childhood.

Chris wanted to scream of the hilltop, so that his voice would resound through the woods. NO! Was all he had in his foggy mind No, no, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

But he was tired, so so tired!

Tired of being the devoted, the sacrificing one, the one who always seemed to get the short end of the stick.

Simply tired.

All Chris managed to get out was a low breathed out "why?" as he watched the sunrise slowly tinge the hills in the distance bright orange.

The beginning of a new day, and Christopher Halliwell didn't know what to do…

There was too much of everything.

Too much pain.

Too much compassion.

And even too much love now.

Feelings were such uncertain things.

Being neglected and ignored was something you could build upon.

If you were ignored wherever you turned up in the picture, there was nothing you could loose.

Chris shuddered inwardly…hadn't it been him who almost never appeared on any family photo, they made every year with Leo as an, in his eyes mendacious proof of their domestic happiness. As a boy he had really made a sport out of it to not or at least only partly be seen on any photo.

Nowadays a photo of his mom, Wyatt and himself was his most precious treasure.

…But now he wasn't the nobody anymore that everyone could ignore and would be forgotten the very moment he left the room…if not before that he had to ad out of bitter experience…

Now he was a nephew and worse – a son!

Someone whose status screamed attention, and at the moment he hated this with every fibre of his heart.

…

"Got him" Leo opened his eyes.

"Where is he? He's gone way to long now…come on don't let me worm everything out of you, Leo!" To denote Piper as "impatient" was an understatement.

"So first you told me to leave him the hell alone and now you call me, expecting to do some "beauty-corrections" for your unnerving, unerringly little whitelighter?

And what's that with the big-affection-we-suddenly-love-the-whitelighter-thing????

Is there something I should know?"

Leo lifted his eyebrows looking expectantly at Phoebe, the specialist for hitting on the strangest men.

"What…no! Not what YOU think, Leo! Come on, he's almost a baby!"

"He's nineteen – old enough in most states"

The argument started to heat-up till Piper stopped the two spitfires.

"Leo! Stop that crap! Both of you! We have no time for that!

Go find him,

Bring him back

And heal him, Leo!

THEN well have time to explain everything, promised!"

"I'll be blowed, if I do that!"

"Oh Leo don't chance your luck! This is PIPER you are talking to!" Paige simply couldn't refrain from that comment and earned an icy glare from both Piper AND Leo, while Phoebe had to fight the urge to giggle.

"You said yourself that he isn't seriously injured. I would never deny ANYONE injured my help.

But this is just a favour. If he wants something, he should come and beg for it!" Now Leo had definitively spoiled his chances.

"LEO! FOR THE LAST TIME: GO AND BRING OUR SON BACK HOME…!!!"

"What has Wyatt got to do…? No…! He didn't make you believe this now? You're kidding, right…! Tell me you don't really believe this.

He's lying whenever he opens his mouth – manipulating the whole family from day one! And now…"

"I don't give a damn what you think Leo! He IS our son. Point!

And right now you're proving where our youngest son got his neurotic-paranoid-unnerving attitude from…!"

"…and the eyes!" added Paige.

"…especially the eyes!" Phoebe affirmed her sister.

"That's enough! I'm going back upthere and check with the elders what spell it was he's put you under."

"Le…!" Piper began but at that time he had already started to dissolve into blue-white orbs.

Piper started to hate this ability with all her might.

It seemed that literally all Halliwell men used it to dodge direct confrontation with their problems.

It was for sure only a matter of time till Wyatt would start to do so. Of that she was certain- had even witnessed the first indications of it already.

And her youngest – Oh yeah, she had to get used to that thought- seemed to be no exception.

No, he had obviously learned from the best.

Now he was sitting somewhere unknown, brooding over his problems all alone.

"Paige, I think this is your job now. Bring him back home, please! He walked around with this scars and this horribly wound for over a year.

I think it's definitely time that family takes care of this boy now!"

Paige stared pensively into space.

"Have you ever thought about why we didn't help him in the future?"

"Maybe he didn't tell us, or someone or something wouldn't let us, or…

or… Oh!"

"Yes you got that, sister…" Paige arched an eyebrow at Phoebe, to reassure that she had followed their train of thoughts.

"…or we simply were not there anymore! Have you thought about that…?" Phoebe stated.

"Speculations, speculations, speculations! Reach over his pillow and a scrying crystal and in no time we might get some authentic information.

Just let us do this in the right order…

First: Locate and heal

Then: Ask a zillion questions, as any good mother and aunts of a teenage boy would do to drive him out of the house of sheer annoyance."

…

It seemed like eternity that Chris sat unmoving on a rock overlooking the near valley not able to rivet his eyes on anything.

The sun had now fully claimed the sky and last dark hazes of the night had faded into oblivion.

It was another oh so bright peaceful day rising over the city of San Francisco that in a few years would become a horrible place – HELL!

Chris felt his aunts' presence long before she laid her hand gently on his shoulder.

"Hey!" she simply said, not really able to find any words.

There was a moment of tranquillity between the two Halliwells.

"You know, you were my favourite aunt in the future?!" Chris eventually broke the silence.

Paige swallowed at the "were" and what it implied, but at least this was a beginning – t least Chris was talking to her.

"I was the cool aunt, he?"

"You can bet on this…" Chris started for a moment blessed with oblivion and Paige could see his face lighten up. "…once there was this problem with my teacher and you…" but suddenly the boys face fell, all light faded at once.

"…forget it!" He stated sadly "…it doesn't matter anymore…" there he was again, the Chris Paige and her sisters had seen for most of the time. Too long, Paige decided.

"Oh for me it for sure matters! I'm going to be the favourite aunt of the most complicated and cagily and wonderful…and" Paige recounted with her fingers "and stubborn boy in history…! I'm in need of all the help I can get, I guess?!"

"Did you just say "wonderful"?" Chris asked with a small cheeky grin and a raised eyebrow that reminded Paige exceedingly on one certain charmed sister…!

"Course I did!"

"Ewww, that's so embarrassing!" And there it was again the part of a little boy that would for sure make him his favourite nephew one day.

"Anyways! Now that we clarified that I am your favourite aunt – by the way a good choice, considering that Piper is your mother and Leo undoubtedly your dad. – Lets just say you will need a hell of an aunt!! Or better two if I reconsider."

"Yeah, you and Phoebe bailed me out a lot. Even if Phoebe always tended to be Wyatt's favourite."

"So why don't we orb you home now to solve some of the problems you hid from us the whole time? And…" Paige raised her voice in mock threat at this, while she punched her youngest nephew lightly on his shoulder.

"… if you ever say "future consequences" again, I swear by the greater good that I will find a way to erase those two words from your vocabulary forever!"

They both had to laugh at this, and Paige noticed that she'd never seen the boy really laugh at all…

This had definitely to change!

"So are we ready?"

"No…" was all Chris could get out as she had already grabbed him and the two dissolved, leaving the peaceful place for the birds that welcomed the day twittering merrily, free from the care what it might bring…

TBC…


	27. Chapter 12: Painful revealments 6

**Disclaimer: **

**Chris:** Hah, take this you slimy demon, see I vanquish you…never come here again.

**Wyatt:** You are so dead brother. Take this and go home crying.

**Chris:** No you didn't do THAT. Hah now I'm going to blast your sorry ass away.

**Wyatt:** Now it's my turn. See you can't win against the source. Capitulate and your end will be painless.

**Chris:** Never! I still got two abiding friends in this battle. We'll fight to the last man.

**Will:** So resign to your fate…Your men are doomed.

**++dragons calls out of kitchen ++ What the hell are you doing. You know I really like you although you are not mine. But if you have it out in my living-room, then I'm going to kick you out.**

**No battles over the worlds´ fate at home, boys!**

**Chris:** ++mumbles++ Man, someone's cranky today!

**Wyatt:** ++calls++ We don't know what's your problem, dragons. ++to Chris++ And now I'm going to kill you brother!

**++dragons runs into the living-room++ Don't you…**

**Both:** What? Can´t we play just a peaceful game of ludo now…

**++dragons confused++ But it sounded like…**

**Chris:** ++grinning++ Yeah! That's ludo Halliwell style…!

**Oh you……………!**

* * *

**Chapter twelve / part six:**

..."I told you it wouldn't work!" declared Chris outwardly unagitated, as if he would speak of something trivial like…nah nothing ever turned out to be trivial in this family.

A very tensed, and to be honest this was an understatement, Piper was right now in the mood to blow something up, just to vent some of her frustration, before she hit the ceiling.

How could Chris be so calm about something so unfair? Why did he, who fought for everything tooth and nail, simply yield to this fate?

Chris mother and aunts were still trying to heal the boy without as much as the slightest success.

"…even Leo couldn't heal me in the future, and he was an elder as he tried. It's a simple formula, don't you understand:

Wyatt beats Charmed-ones – beats elders too.

He's the son of a Charmed-one and an elder, twice-blessed AND the source.

No one can beat that amount of magic. No way!" Chris stated a bit too self-composed for his mothers liking.

And Chris didn't even mention the countless times he tried to do just that!

"I'm still not willing to believe that this is it. He may have used some of the sources power…so what about the source of our time? Shouldn't we be able to beat him with his own weapons?!"

Piper sounded really determined.

She still repressed the urge to simply take her newly found youngest in her arms, even if she was dying to do so.

….

As Chris had returned to the manor with Paige two hours ago you could have cut the atmosphere with a knife…everyone wanted to say the absolutely right things to make sure that they would not ruin this special moment.

But what were the right things to say…

…the whole English language lacked suddenly of words to express what the sisters felt right now. So there was a sudden silence.

And Chris…

The young whitelighter had sat on the living-room couch- face in hands, trying to rub his overwrought brain-cells to work.

Think Christopher Halliwell, damn it, think!´´ was all that occurred in his head.

But without his plans he felt so lost…naked.

He had felt a hand softly taking his own from his temple.

Piper had simply held her sons hand, softly tracing the lines of his palm – so fragile but yet so hardened from life.

…

And now after two hours of inconclusively attempts to redeem the young whitelighter of his scars, Piper had not come closer to her son than that.

The only thing she managed to say right now was a weakly choked out "It's good to have you here Chris" which came out not in the least the way she'd intended it.

But she meant it from the bottom of her heart.

"…Don't know!" Chris mumbled.

"What did you just say?" Piper asked in disbelieve.

"…I don't know if it is really THAT good… I mean look at what I've achieved – what I've done…

I split up Leo and you, I screwed up royally in saving Wyatt…I made everyone hate me…"

"…that's not true!" Piper interrupted.

"Oh come on, mom! It's not that I'm stupid or anything or that I have no eyes in my head to see…"

Chris halted at the sight of Pipers expression.

There was a bright smile spreading all over her face!

"What?" Chris asked slightly perplexed.

"You said "mom"!" Piper gleamed with joy!

"Oh sorry, mom…ehm I mean Piper…oh dang…I never meant to…!" Chris rambled on and on.

"No, no! It's all right! I think I'm starting to like the sound of it…mom." And with that Christopher Halliwell had lost another battle…

…

"OK. So the plan is set:…" After hours of planning and most of all rejecting plans, they finally had come to some kind of consent.

"…Phoebe and Chris will infiltrate the sources troops. With his contacts in the underworld that shouldn't be too hard to manage.

By the way… we definitely will have to talk about your familiarity with demons. You are keeping bad company, young man!"

Chris only rolled his eyes.

"And Paige and I will be your backup. So everyone will have someone to orb them out just in case of…! And we even would be stronger if LEO!!!!..." She sent an angry look up to the heavens "…would decide to face the facts and come down from his fluffy placidly elder-cloud to HELP! HIS! SON!!!"

"Wow!" Chris thought, all to well knowing this tone from his younger years. He still involuntarily flinched at it, even if it now wasn't him for a change, that Pipers wrath was directed at. To be honest, there were a LOT of times in his childhood when he had fairly earned her scolding. Just to say he hadn't always been the angel he was born as…but from his point of view there was most of times good reason of why he got himself into trouble.

Although there was no point in further discussing the point that for the Halliwell brothers some mistakes were simply to much fun, to only make them once…that was another story.

Furthermore Chris had given up to argue with his mother over the point, that the plans she and her sisters had made were far too dangerous and that it was still most important to save Wyatt.

But Piper had ended this discussion with the killer-argument that she would not place one sons welfare over the other. Who would try to start a fight with her about that…?

So now they were planning to infiltrate the evil side, hoping to get some useful information how to heal their youngest family member without a battle.

…And, so planned Chris secretly, to maybe find out some more about who planned to turn his brother…!

The rest of the family prepared themselves meanwhile for an eventually possible fight with half of the underworld, all in the hope that their preparations would not be necessary.

The whole attic was already stuffed with potion bottles and Chris still found more spells in the book of shadows that could come in handy at times.

The whole operation was planned as far as they could, while the rest would consist out of improvisation, and yes, a whole lot of pure luck…

…

"I'm from the Dargons-clan…" Chris tried to explain to three visibly distrustful looking guardians, which had caught them literally with the hand in the cookie jar, or with their noses in the sources secret book, to be precise.

So far their fanciful plan had astonishingly worked. Till now…

In a fraction of a second they had moved from "hazardous-plan" to the part Chris had a faint recollection as the "improvisation".

Could this fucking day get even better…!?

While Chris tried to play out as much time as possible for them, Phoebe searched behind his back and luckily not in full view for the new intruders, to find out as much as she could. While they at first had started to only copy the spells that came in question, she now ripped out everything that anyhow mentioned something about healing or breaking spells. She knew that their fortune wouldn't last much longer, even if her nephew did a marvelous job in putting of the demon-guards.

Chris felt his left eyebrow twitch the tiniest bit, a sure sign to the boy that he was soon at wits end.

"Hurry, Phoebe, hurry!" he continued to pray inwardly, while he handed his three opponents a nearly endless line.

But his aunt seemed not to get ready to reappear behind the sources massive desk.

Chris knew that he could most probably eliminate the demons, but there were no chances to do this without alerting the seemingly zillions of demons that populated the huge demons lair.

So the best strategy was to grab Phoebe and orb, before the demons even knew what was going on.

"…Go check with your leader, if you don't believe me…!" he lied insolently and while the demons heatedly thrashed out what to do with him, Chris jumped with a spirited leap over the tabletop and landed right on Phoebe. Still in the movement, the two started to disappear in blue-white orbs, only to reappear again at the same place within the blink of an eye - landing in a heap on the floor.

Unfortunately this was enough to show even the most stupid demon that they were for sure no demons…

…They were trapped!

TBC…


	28. Chapter 12: Painful revealments 7

**Disclaimer:**

**Springtime….mmmmh…springtime…!**

**Wyatt:** Oh my god she's singing! Damn, is it really spring again? Haven't we just survived the last attack of "feeling frisky" kind of …maybe yesterday?

**Chris:** No bro! There is already another year gone by!

**Wyatt:** Wonder who will be her latest victim?

**Chris:** Oh no! Don't you remember...we blasted up her friend…!

**Wyatt:** Shit! That makes us her prime target! What are we supposed to do now?

**Wyyyyyaaaaat! Ohhhh Chrissyyyyyyyyyy! What about going for a walk outside?? You know looking at the flowers, enjoying the sunshine… and stuff like that?**

**Chris:** +mutters to Wyatt+: I'm afraid of the "stuff like that…"!!

**Wyatt:** Me too! Let's hide somewhere!

**Ohhhhh booooooooyyyys!**

**Chris:** Already too lat she's got us!

**Wyatt:** Orb bro, NOW!!!

**Chris:** It doesn't work!

**++dragons- still singing++ I bound your powers this morning! **

**Chris:** I knew the coffee tasted strange! Why don't you ever listen to me, Wyatt Matthew Halliwell! "New coffee brand" …NOT!BLOODY!LIKELY!!!!!

**Wyatt:** OK, OK blame me! I'm kind of starry-eyed if it comes to dragons…

**Chris:** Believe me, she's capable of ANYTHING!!! Now we will pay the price, Wy!

**Wyatt:** Have you at least some earplugs?

**Chris:** Yes…

**Wyatt:** Thank the greater good…

**Chris:** …exactly one pair!

**Wyatt:** Mind to share???

**Chris:** No way, Wyatt! I sacrificed my life one time. I´m not hell bent on doing it a second time!

**Wyatt:** Awww, brother! Can you really watch how I bleed to death out of my ears? If we take turns with the ear-plugs we have at least a chance…

**Chris:** Another idea: One takes the plugs and the other the MP3-player – how about that…

**Wyatt:** Congenial idea!

**Chris:** We always knew who got the brains in the family…

**Wyatt:** +mutters+ I think the batteries are almost empty…+aloud+ OK bro, you can have the MP3-player and I will settle with the plugs.

**Chris:** Hey, that's nice!

**Wyatt:** +smiles evilly+ Yeah, I think I'm back to normal again…!

**

* * *

**

**Chapter twelve / part seven**

…"This guy's a whitelighter!!!!

…Now you are so going to pay for that, boy!" The gigantic demon growled as he started at the same time to attack Chris with his huge claymore.

Chris, still on the ground, accomplished it to roll out of the way of the deathly blow just in time, taking Phoebe with him in his sideways movement. He shoved her behind him where she was protected with the cave wall behind- and a damn pissed off withelighter before her. "This was a bad mistake, buddy!" stated Chris dryly as he let the three approaching demons crash into the opposite wall with one powerful telekinetic strike.

"Phoebe you're O.K. ? Ready to do a bunk?" Chris asked almost convinced of the contrary.

"As ready as I'll ever be!"

The stunned demons slowly staggered back to their feet, determined to end the annoying fight rather quickly.

Chris took Phoebes hand while his other started to produce a second telekinetic blow…

…but nothing happened!

The demon-bunch guffawed wildly, while the irritated whitelighter and a slightly wobbly Phoebe drew back in direction off the cave-wall.

Chris felt as if he could use all the curses he knew at once.

Why didn't his powers work anymore?

"Paige! We could use a little help down here" He yelled, hoping her whitelighter senses would register that.

Unfortunately just after his mother and youngest aunt appeared, started the boy to develop an idea of what was happening down there.

"Paige, don't orb…!!!" He'd started to scream, but it was already to ate.

Blue white orbs had started to form the Halliwell sisters right besides him.

"SHIT!" Chris cursed, while trying to get his family out of the line of fire.

"Nice welcome, son!" Piper growled, venting her growing anger by blowing up one of the three attackers instantly.

"Two to go!" Paige commented dryly.

"NO!..." Chris still tried to impede what he thought was happening here.

Piper meanwhile raised her hands again, to give one more demon a free ride straight back to hell.

She was, to put it mildly, taken aback as nothing happened.

"What the…?" she just managed to scream, as the four Halliwells had to make a headlong dive behind some fallen rocks, to dodge the fireballs that now flew into their direction.

"Do you have any i…"Paige started, but was cut short by the young whitelighter.

"…it's the cave! I think this is a giant trap! It absorbs our powers as soon as we use them.

Damn, I knew this was all too easy!"

Chris mind raced on high-speed.

The defence the source had installed was simple but effective. One by one the invaders were loosing their powers.

Though the youngest Halliwell was endowed with a huge assortment of powers, even the most multitudinously and mighty magic powers only lasted for so long, if you lost them bit by bit.

His favourite powers – the only two the sisters knew of – were already lost. Chris hoped to get out of there soon and that he would get them back eventually.

A life without orbing and telekinesis – unthinkable for him.

And all the trouble to cure his stupid scars!

Wyatt actually affected his life, when he was a lifetime away.

But at the moment: First things first…

"O.K.!" He told the others. "We have to get out of here without using our powers,,,"

"There are anyway only so few left of them…" Paige mumbled while trying her hardest not to use up her telekinetic powers over fending the next two demons that approached.

Chris and Phoebe meanwhile took hold of the swords of the vanquished demon and fell automatically into a defensive back-to-back position, awaiting their offenders with raised blades.

"Wow, nephew, where did you learn that strategies?" Phoebe asked impressed.

"You have one guess…!" Smirked Chris over his shoulder.

One guess was everything they anyhow would have time for, cause the two remaining demons had already gained strength in form of a third one, which had been alerted by the noises.

Together they assaulted even more sure of their victory.

Had the future Piper been there now, she would have been one more time convinced that both of her sons should wear visible demon warn-signs: "Beware of the Halliwell!" Or something like that. But the people of the past, demons and witches likewise, were clueless about that.

Piper and Paige watched the scene from behind the relative safety of the rocks, the latter with raised hands, ready to sacrifice her powers to save her family.

"How much have you learned from me?" Phoebe asked carefully – better being save then sorry´, she thought, or dead´ in their case.

"Pretty much everything…

Plus some dirty little tricks from Wy too."

"Just don't know if I like to know THAT, but let's put it that way: Everything's allowed in war and vanquish, right?"

So Phoebe had trained her nephews well.

How well actually only Christopher could tell, having felt the effects of his brothers training with his own body.

So it's just save to say…DAMN WELL!

…

Chris arms shook under the impact of the first sword stroke on his blade, which he parried easily. Much to easily the sisters wondered.

Only the youngest Halliwell knew that being Wyatt's favourite exercise-target for Excalibur had for sure its advantages.

Now that the fight was opened, Blows and pareys followed at top speed.

Chris and Phoebe turned in circles each watching the others back while they fought the three pugnacious offenders at once, trying to lead the focus away from their now helpless relatives which they knew had only found temporarily safety behind the only shelter in the whole cave.

They managed this at least for now.

The three demons had their hands full with the two sword waving and highly martially Halliwells.

"Duck!" Phoebe yelled as one thrust found its way around her defense, hoping that her future self had trained her nephew that move too.

And indeed she had…

Like being one single person both fighters dove under the death-blow of the sharp double-edged demon-sword.

The beast which had laid all of his vigour into its thrust, was brought out of balance as its sword moved into thin air.

Using this Phoebe threw herself wit an ear piercing scream against her massive opponent. In one fluent movement she impaled her weapon into the beasts armoured chest.

The demon hadn't even the chance to scream anymore as he was vanquished into a smoking pile of ashes.

Paige admired her sisters fighting skills, as she abruptly realized what mistake lay in her tactics:

Phoebes action left Chris back unprotected, which the remaining demons instantly took advantage of.

While one of them kept Chris occupied with a series of hazardous blows, the other one sneaked behind the young whitelighter, ready to ram his gleaming dagger with both claws through his back right into his heart.

After this, there wouldn't be much left to heal for any whitelighter, the boy would be dead before he knew what even hit him!

"NO!" Paige screamed, jumping forward.

A nearly fatal mistake, as she registered almost too late.

Chris, distracted by his aunts' cry, just hesitated that deciding second too long.

However, Paige saw coming, what Chris, who still defended his bare life with all his might, could not.

She saw her nephew raise his eyebrows in confusion as the death-bringing dagger was pushed forward…

TBC…


	29. Chapter 12: Painful revealments 8

**Disclaimer: **

**No, you just can't keep it, boys!**

**Wyatt:** But it's homeless…

**Chris:** …and sooooooo small. You wont even notice its here!

**Ohhhhhhhhh yes I will!**

**Wyatt:** Awww, you are so mean. Look how it looks with its sad puppy-dog eyes.

**Chris:** Come on! We just moved in in our new home. We have more space than everyone of us needs. What speaks against a pet?

**I just said no! It's not right and basta.**

**Chris:** +mumbles to Wyatt+ let's hide it somewhere…+aloud+ OK, dragons, you won! We bring it back….

**Good boys!**

…ten minutes later:

Dragons runs into the living room putting out a huge fire with the fire extinguisher.

**What… chough…the hell happened here…cough?!**

**Wyatt:** It wasn't our fault…

**Chris:**…it just got out of control someway!

**WHAT got out of control? Were you two experimenting on new potions again?**

**Wyatt:** No…ehm…it was…the pet.

**HOW OFTEN DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!! DEMONS ARE NO PETS!**

**Both:** +guilty+ We know!

**Chris:** But it's so sweet! Look at its little snout and those big round eyes…

**Yeah together with a long tail with razor sharp spikes and its ability to spit a 5 foot long fire-blast. And that is only as long as it is still a baby. **

**This is a FIREDEMON – not a puppy dog or a kitten! Its going to be as big as an elephant if its grownup…**

**I know I don't own anything around here, but I vow to invent a nice fireproof cell for the two of you instead of this comfortable loft for you two to live in.**

**Chris:** I think she's really pissed this time…

**Wyatt:** What did you expect? We just burned down half of her living room…

**Chris:** But…

**NO BUTS, MISTER!! Go find this…this….creature a new home and then you'll spend the rest of the weekend with cleaning up that mess!**

**Wyatt:** Let's take the little one back down to the underworld, brother.

**Chris:** But I liked Cuddly…!

**Cuddly??? This thing is going to bite your head of someday!**

**Chris:** Now you are exaggerating!

**Exaggerating? EXAGGERATING! This sweet little puppy just ate up half of my couch Chris!!!!**

* * *

**Chapter twelve / part eight**

The dagger had already sliced the fabric of the young whitelighters shirt as the short blade together with the whole demon still holding its handle was thrown away.

Paige had sacrificed her last power with a brilliancy no one would have thought possible in the heat of the fray. The overtaken demon was hurled with his still raised weapon straight into his evil comrade-in-arms sword. He was impaled without the time to stop his own stabbing movement himself.

Both demons stared unbelieving in the other ones eyes before they widened in apprehension. The cognition only lasted for the fraction of a second, as both of them burst into flames.

Chris looked with sad recognizing eyes at his aunt, feeling the weight of one invisible item more on his never ending bill of things he owed his aunts. She'd relinquished one of the most favourite things she owned for him.

They were on this suicide mission solely because of him. And if it came to the payment of all his debts he cut a lousy figure. In the end he hadn't even been able to save his aunts life in the future.

He was weak.

Not weak because the greater good had not granted him the gift of enough powers – no he was weak on his own choice, weak because he lived the same silly dream of normalcy his mother once had.

A luxury no Halliwell ever had the chance to have.

Why didn't his ancestors write down such things into their precious book of shadows?

But there was this part in his personality that must be a very dominant in the Halliwell gene pool that screamed for such a normal life.

And these thing most people think of as a matter of course became for those anguished souls their own private nirvana.

Normalcy – How simple, yet so unreachable.

And now once again his dreams of even the slightest bit of it – to have an unharmed body, were shattered and his mom and his aunts were about to be paying the price together with him for his inability to say no to the irresistible offer of normalcy, his family had made.

Why in all gods names had they to find out who he was?

Was he really that cursed? Damned to tear everyone down into misery with him?

A low increasing growl and the pounding of many feet jerked him abruptly out of his depressive thoughts.

Shit! The reinforcement was coming.

And it wasn't their reinforcement.

"Any suggestions future-boy?" the now newly power- and defenceless Paige called.

And really, Chris had already an idea to stop all of the demons from their assault at once.

It was just a temporarily one and his mom would surely kill him afterwards for the stunt he'd planned, but well…wasn't that kind of his part in the whole family? Saving the day and at the same time pissing everyone off?

In front of his inner eye he could see his future family nodding their heads enthusiastically.

"But come on, that's what you love me for!" he mumbled to the fading images.

Speaking of going insane…!

"Chris! Anyone there inside?" Phoebe gave her words emphasis by waving her hand in front of his face.

"Yeah! I have a plan. Just trust me and stay put!" Was all he said as he ran, much to his family's horror, straight in front of the at least twenty furious demons, that were ready to rip the boy into peaces.

The whitelighter waited patiently for the hordes to approach. With closed eyes he sensed for the right moment…

NOW!

The demons were only a few steps away, the charmed ones staring shocked at the scenery.

The boy raised his right hand slowly and in absolute concentration over his head…

"CHRIS!" was the last thing he heard…

**TBC….**


	30. Chapter 12: Painful revealments 9

**Disclaimer:**

**Wyatt: **Hey bro, what are you doing with the book of shadows?

**Chris: **I'm looking for a lead what happened to dragonsflyfree. She's kinda strange lately. I mean all the evil stuff she writes…all the cliff-hangers...

**Wyatt:** Know what you mean –the reviewers are recognizing too already.

**Chris: **And I swear she's up to something. Every time I come into the room she falls silent, and all the talking on the phone…that's really bad. I swear it!

**Wyatt:** Don't you think you are overreacting? I mean **she don´t owns us**, so what can she really do! I think the last chapters were just kind of stressful for you.

**Chris: **Says who? The concerned older brother or the source of all evil?

**Wyatt:** Now you are mean!!!

**Chris: **OK, OK! Maybe I'm a bag of nerves right now, sorry.

**Wyatt:** So what about we go out tonight?

**Chris: **All right, I'm in!

….

**They are gone! Everyone get in…Ready for the surprise party???**

Touch of the Wind, ChrissyWx , Belen, (…put in your own name -here…), Tia, Carry, Max…are entering the loft trough the backdoor.++

**So be quiet everyone they should be back any second…**

….

**Chris: **Someday you will forget your head anywhere. You should be happy that it is screwed on, brother. So go get your purse…

Wait Wyatt!!!…something's definitely wrong here…dragons should be at home….look - all lights are out! I bet this is an ambush!!

**Wyatt:** Bullshit…It's Saturday night, I think she went out too.

**Chris: **No way! She promised to take care of the two kittens ChrissyW.x. brought around. She's absolutely crazy about them…

Chris starts to enter the loft carefully, hands poised to blow up everything…++

**Wyatt: **Chris stop!

Suddenly all lights go on++

**Everyone:** Surpr…!

Chris fires a huge blast in absolute shock…++

**Everyone:** …ize! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

**dragonsflyfree: NOT MY COUCH AGAIN!!!!...**

* * *

**Chapter twelve / part nine**

…If the charmed ones ever had doubts about Chris´ ancestry – now they were sure.

Piper felt her heart miss a few beats as she saw her youngest seemingly fearless walk towards the armed to the teeth demons.

What was he doing?

She wanted to scream, but no sound came out of her fear constricted throat.

The first of the demons was raising his weapon, a huge battle axe, smirking in confidence of their victory.

Piper wanted to stop her son, who only raised his hand instead of seeking safety in flight.

She wanted to throw herself onto these beasts, that threatened to take away her just found son from her.

Suddenly all the constrictions in her throat seemed to be washed away and all her pain, her fear and anger found their way out of her in one scream:

"CHRIS!"

But afterwards she fell into a sudden silence.

A deep, droning vibration seemed to float out of her youngest hand, straight into the caves stone ceiling.

Piper watched in shock as an avalanche of rocks suddenly rained down on her son.

He'd brought the caves ceiling to collapse into a thousand pieces…

…

…As he was starting to regain consciousness a painful drumming in his head seemed to set in.

The grand orchestras' ensemble that was playing Stravinsky twelve tone music in his ears was at least symphonic. And not less than three little manikins in his head were playing the timpani.

Chris felt like his brain would burst every moment now.

As his vision started to clear together with his mind, he remembered what had happened.

The recall made him sit up abruptly. "NO GOOD IDEA!" screamed his head and was backed up by his stomach which sent up sudden waves of nausea.

So his plan hadn't exactly turned out the way he'd thought, but the result was as far as he could see quite satisfying anyway.

The demons were locked behind a wall of heavy rocks, the young whitelighter had detached by blowing the ceiling. So far everything had worked out the way he'd planned it.

What he had definitively not planned was the stubbornness of these silly rocks.

Chris had tried to jump out of their way in time, just as one of them had hit him.

Carefully he felt for the goose egg that would surely decorate his forehead by now and groaned as his fingers came back into his vision coated with his own blood.

Looking out for his family he came to two basic realizations.

Number one´: He had saved his family by parting the cave with a currently insurmountable bulwark of fallen rocks.

And, what brought him straight to number two´, he'd managed to lock up the remaining demons.

But, as he very slowly became aware, the only bad (and with bad thanks to his unfailing Halliwell-luck he meant REALLY bad) thing was that he had managed to lock them up with him!

Great Christopher Halliwell, just great! Only a stupid dork like you could jump onto the wrong side of the front-line!´

His throbbing head only espoused his self-scolding. Yeah, I deserved that! Stupidity hurts, would Wyatt call it´

But first things first.

The demons came gradually back to their feet. The first two of them were instantly blown up by Chris.

"First my sonic waves now there goes moms' favourite power!" He spoke out aloud; fully aware that he had lost it the instant he had used it in this hellhole.

"O.K. no time to whine, survival mode Chris!"

How the young whitelighter hoped that the power stripping in this goddamn cave was a reversible effect.

The next three demons were not long in coming.

After they had lifted a ridiculously heavy stone from their leather clad bodies, they simply shook of the dirt and attacked instantly.

There for sure is a good side in being dumb.

You don't loose time in planning, you just act on instinct´, Chris thought.

But the demons luck only lasted so long…

While one of the trio scored by ripping Chris shirt into peaces, which earned him a "hey that was one of my favourite shirts", Chris fenced off the others swords masterly.

Hurry and finish them up, the next bunch is approaching fast!´ he told himself.

Two fast feints paired with a breakneck dive under the razor-sharp blade of the biggest of his opponents finally ended the unequal battle.

One inch deeper´ Chris thought and I would have to wear a nice little short cut hairstyle… or never ever needed a haircut again.´ He added with a cold shudder. But luck seemed to be on his side again as he vanquished eventually the last demon with his sword from behind.

Chris looked frantically around for the next onrush that must have reached him by now – but nothing!

He ceased his eyebrows once more in confusion, looking at the demons that stood at the opposite wall. Thunderstruck was the word which would describe their expressions correctly.

But why?

O.K., he wasn't the easiest prey, but with their great mass they would have finally overpowered him.

A murmuring between the demons kept growing louder…

Suddenly the masses parted and left an aisle for a hooded figure, which appeared really tiny besides the huge fighters.

"Are you the prophesized one?" A deep but feminine voice asked out of the impervious depth of the figures cloak.

Prophecies, that was more of Wyatts´ kind of things, thought Chris. He was the more realistic type. What came would come, and every action caused a reaction - Something turned his brother, he would turn him back. That was his credo.

"What do you mean?" He asked nevertheless.

With that the woman lowered her hood and walked towards Chris who in response took a few steps back till he was stopped by the wall.

"You…you're a seer!"

"Not a seer, dear boy: THE seer!

But don't worry even if I am the sources seer, no harm will be done to you. Not if you are who I think you are!"

And with that she touched Chris bloody forehead tenderly as a feather.

Chris´ legs gave out under him and he slowly slid down the rocky caves wall as his eyes rolled back in his head...

TBC…


	31. Chapter 12: Painful revealments 10

**Disclaimer: **

**Chris:** Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

**Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz! **

**Wyatt:** Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

**++a couch is silently scorching away, radiating homely warmth++ **

**Guests:** Wow that was a hell of a party, wasn't it!

And what in all the world was that blue green smoke we inhaled? Some sort of new party drug?

**ChrissyWx:** I fear it were toxic fumes of the burning couch, folks!

**Guests:** Nah, it doesn't matter…still one hell of a party….

**Belen:** Does dragons have to clean up behind the boys, even if **she doesn't own them**?

**Guests** ++chuckling evilly leaving the mess behind++

**ChrissyWx**: Come on let us give those sleeping beauties some more of their much needed sleep…!

**Touch of the Wind:** But I want the new chapter…NOW!!!!!

**Belen:** So let's hack into Chris computer then.

**ChrissyWx:** Next time he's going to blow up YOUR couch I guess….

* * *

**Chapter twelve / part ten (oh no I'm doing it again…!)**

The eyes of the young whitelighter moved rapidly under his closed lids, as he floated in a state of semi consciousness.

Through the clouds of his hazy mind the seers' voice pervaded him…

_…there will appear the one who will bring back the balance of the forces again_

_He who will be marked by evil will bring peace for all – darkness and light._

_Who ever will try to keep him from his destiny, will damn the whole world to end…_

_The balance must be restored…_

_Light can not exist without shadow, nor shadow without light…_

_So beware the keeper of the holy balance…_

As Chris awoke rather unwillingly, the seer was kneeling besides him her chin resting on her chest while her eyes fluttered. Her hands had fallen limply besides her – all in all not so bad he thought as he saw that the remaining demons were eagerly lugging away the fallen rocks, instead of ripping off his head.

Which brought him back to one of his current main problems: his head.

His headache was not gone at all – in contrary.

Chris felt the full blown after-effects of a phenomenon he hadn't experienced in years.

"This could not have been a frigging vision!" He cursed aloud.

The demons only graced him with a quick glance before continuing with their task to unpack their treat. Unfortunately the "candy" they were out to get was the whitelighters family…

The thought sent Chris back on his wobbly legs rather quickly.

"Hey what's wrong with you?" He tried to distract them. "It isn't so as if this is a fucking non-aggression treaty I signed! O.K. maybe I don't like killing demons as much as the rest of my family, but I'm still a Halliwell. Do you hear me…Hal…li…wellllllll!" But it was like talking to a brick wall.

"O.K. fine ignore me, but don't bargain for me to do the same!" He started to loose his temper again, which was definitely bad for his already aching head.

"Shit!" He exclaimed swaying, his left hand seeking for a hold on the nearest wall, while his right clutched his throbbing head.

He thought about the things he'd seen…had it really been a vision?

Chris would have preferred nothing more then to tell himself, that all this simply was one of the strangest dreams he'd ever had.

For such kind of visions you after all needed…

"…blood" He finished almost surprised as he removed his hand from his head, and the still freshly red liquid on his fingers came into eyesight.

"So the prophesized-one, hmm? Beat that, brother!" Chris mumbled with a hint of grim humour.

…

Chris almost jumped as he felt a firm steadying hand on his shoulder. In his heated trials to bug the demons he hadn't recognized the seer coming out of her trance.

As the young chosen by evil whitelighter, turned abruptly around he was met by two eyes that seemed to look deep into his soul.

"You have to be kidding!" Chris reacted provocatively. "OK this is a cruel joke, right? You wanna kill me, then come on and try to get over with it, but spare me your silly mind games!"

"We are not playing, young Halliwell! Didn't you ever wonder why the wound on your shoulder never really healed? Maybe you even felt something. Some sort of energy maybe?"

"Oh puuuhlease! Don't give me that Harry Potter crap right now!" Chris retaliated naughtily, but couldn't help but to move his head as far back as he could to get a glimpse at the gruesome reminder of his brothers' force.

It did not really heal, so much was true.

But power? Come on what should this be? Some sort of twisted attempt to turn him?

He'd never felt anything from this damn wound then pain. Twenty-four hours a day, for such a long time that he didn't really realized it anymore. His body had fortunately found some way to blind it out. As long as he did not think about it to be precise…

Ouch!...Thank you very much for that kindly reminder! You can blow that out your ear, seer!´ Chris thought enraged, absent-minded rubbing his aching shoulder.

"It's because you're not evil – yet."

"You invaded my mind, seer!?" Now the young whitelighter started to get really angry.

"Sorry for that…old habits die hard, you know!"

"Yes, yes blahblahblah! And what do you mean with not evil yet´? I'll never be one of yours!"

"As much as you will never be truly one of them either! Didn't you always felt a bit strange when you helped in your families business…and no, I don't mean any restaurants kitchen…!" She stifled the boys next cheeky comment which she saw coming.

"Hasn't your dad despite of how much he loved you, rejected and deprecated you the very same moment?

It's true; you never really fit in, isn't it so?"

Chris only stared- his face blank – while his mind was a raging storm.

"It's because you are a wanderer between the forces. Meant to be the link, the one to keep the balance in between.

So you can never really be totally evil, that's why you resisted the temptations and threats of the source that long.

Nor can you ever be the whitelighter your heart yearns to be that often…so you'll never be the son your father wishes you to be.

You simply can't as much as you try.

It's because you understand the demons in a way as much as the good ones.

It's what makes you the target and the hope of us all at the same time.

You'll never like the vanquishing as much as a Halliwell should, the same as not even the source will be able to turn you.

But you'll never find fulfilment in working for the greater good, because you recognize and understand the weaknesses and confusions in the good too.

What makes the elders better then the source when they kill although? Sometimes, from an outside point of view, the only difference is the colour of their robes."

"Stop it, seer! You're so sick! Do you really believe that you reach anything with that shit?

I'll always be on the side of good!"

"But at the same time you'll always have to just square everything with your own conscience. You unlike your family will not be bound to any ideology…"

"…You're a liar!"

"Wanna see what I mean? Do you really want to feel what I mean?" The seer said with an oily smile worth of the source itself, while she summoned a little demon girl right in front of the perplexed young whitelighter. A deep frown emerged on his sore forehead.

"What the…"

"Do you see her? She will grow up to be the murderer of your mother. She and her clan will kill her on your fourteenth birthday, because of something the elders did to her family…

Go ahead! Kill her and you'll save your moms´ life!"

Something seemed to freeze inside of Chris. There was his chance to save his mom; to maybe save everything…As on auto-pilot a fireball materialized itself in his open palm while he stared intently at the girl. She didn't even reach his hip and her dark almost black eyes looked uncomprehendingly at him.

She was six years at most, but Chris believed to already find an evil glint in her eyes…

Do you hear yourself, Christopher? ´ He inwardly scolded himself. This girl is six years old. Children can't be bad or even evil. That's something you find only in the movies. Think about your best friend…He's half demon, ever was…And he was in no way different then the other children…´

But here was his chance to stop his life from becoming a living nightmare, his ticket out of his personal hell…

The only problem was that this girl had not done anything now she was an innocent as much as the other people his family lived to protect. Was it her fault that she would be raised to be evil. Was it really? Would any demon ever be able to control his…urge?

The most of the mortal humans could!

The most witches could…Bianca could!

So why shouldn't they too?

You would never turn a hundred per cent demon to be fully good. But why shouldn't they be able to learn?

Where ended "good" and started "evil"? A question he had thought over a thousand times since he'd been a kid.

They killed demons on a daily basis, and called themselves "good".

They just watched half of the world suffering and dying from hunger and poverty, while they celebrated their personal gain rule and still called themselves "good".

Hell, if that was the definition of "good" how much worse could "evil" be to make them stand there autocratically.

The demons were born and raised…well as demons…

What excuse had they? Chris asked himself as the fireball in his hand slowly died away.

"See what I mean…" The seer remarked as she shimmered out with the girl.

"Who was this boy, mommy?" The girl asked as they were out of earshot.

"No one, honey…don't worry about him. You won't see him again for another…maybe fourteen years!"

TBC…


	32. Chapter 12: Painfull revealments 11

**A/N:** Ohhhhhhhkayyyyyy! Anyone believed that Chris is not the angel we supposed him to be……..??? Just wait and see!

**Disclaimer:**

**My head is completely empty! I simply ****can't think right now! Not even for a funny disclaimer…**

**Chris:** Is this any different to previous times…

**Chris! All right, mister smart-ass-comments. You are so writing this disclaimer ****this time. And I swear by the greater good, if the people not like it you will fall back into comatose state for the next chapters!!!**

**Chris:** Everything, but not that!

**So try your best!**

**Chris:** All right…what shall I tell you… Mmmh let's see…

Ok, last time I blasted dragons couch again, so she decided I had to buy her a new (totally overpriced) one – as you can read in ChrissyWx review, btw.

Then…

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

_**Chris:**__ You have to tilt the couch some more to the r_ight Wy!

_**Wyatt:**__ I can't! There is no space! _

_**Chris:**__ Shit! This monster will never fit through that door brother!_

_**Wyatt:**__ You definitely had to pay some more, to have this thing delivered right into dragons living room! Then all this would be the movers' problem!_

_**Chris:**__ Are you nuts! This thing already made me broke till 2011!_

_**Wyatt:**__ OK, bro! Close you eyes, because you won't like to see what I'm going to do next…_

_**Chris:**__ NO Wyatt!!_

_**Wyatt:**__ NOW Chris…_

_+the couch is orbed into the living-room+_

…

_Later__…_

_**I **__**can't believe it! This couch is purple! How can a perfectly nice coloured couch turn purple?**_

_**Both brothers +smiling+:**__ We don't know! Must be a false delivery._

_**Chris +whispering to his brother+:**__ When will you ever learn ANYTHING about personal gain, Wyatt?!!!_

…

**Chris:** And by the way the couch problem sorted itself out at the next demons attack. And…this time Wyatt blasted the couch…

Yes!!

**Wyatt:** All you had to tell the people was that **dragons does not own Charmed or us**. And you are starting to waffle again…

**Chris:** Not my fault – dragons wanted me too…

**And I'm already regretting it…**

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Chapter twelve /part eleven:**

What could have been the truth as good as the spin off of some of the Grimm's fairy-tales itself hit Chris like the proverbially hammer.

More like that gnawed at him the thought of what if the things the seer said had been the truth! What if he'd given away the only chance he would ever have to change things?

But no! Not at these costs.

He never could've done something like that. Never! Apart from that his mother would've never endorsed this vanquish or murder just as you liked to call it, it would've made him more similar to the source than he dared to think about at the moment.

But the now more urgent problem was that the demons already were successfully tearing down his makeshift barricade.

"Nonono!" Chris thought "It's too soon! …"

…Speaking of desperate measures… The young whitelighter turned to the solution he had from the start banned at the farthest part of his mind –

Leo!

Chris hoped against all hopes that the bond he'd shared with the elder since his childhood, still, or - from their point of view now – already existed. There had been only one time, when he wasn't able to reach Leo with only so much as thinking of him. That was when Wyatt had destroyed it. As his brother had become the source he had done everything to get Chris on his side. He had even played perfidious games with his little brothers' mind…

_Flashback:_

"…_Leo! What are you still doing here? Did you finally feel like playing "family" again? Wyatt spat out sarcastically and was gone before the elder had completely orbed in._

_It was at least some reaction. More then he got from newly fourteen year old Chris who had spent the days after his mother's murder in some sort of silent apathy._

_Leo had spent the weeks since the murder, ever after only referred as "the event", with the care for his two traumatized sons. While Wyatt reacted with angry aggression, Chris had retreated completely into his shell. Leo was worried sick and tried desperately to divide his attendance between his eldest who was wreaking havoc in the underworld in trial to destroy everyone and everything he thought guilty of killing his mother, and his youngest who was only barely a part of this world._

"_Chris at least eat something!" Leo tried for the millionth time today to get some sort of reaction from his son, who sat, as everyday of the week in the window still, leaning his forehead against the cool glass while staring into space. After some more conversation, that the desperate elder just as well could have conducted with the nearest wall (and would have probably gotten more reaction from it) he sighed resigning, wrapping his unresisting sons back at least into a warm quilt his grandma once had sewn._

"_O.K., Chris I leave your sandwich on the nightstand. Your grandpa will be coming over any minute. I will go and look if I can find your brother anywhere. Maybe it would help if you would call him too?"_

_Still no reaction from the painfully thin and pale boy whose hair started to grow out now, giving him some kind of lost puppy dog appearance._

_He desperately hoped that at least Victor would get trough to him. The old man had always shared a special bond with his youngest grandson. Piper always said that it was due to the fact that the two shared the same stubbornness and odd sense of humour._

_But in secret Leo knew that the old Bennett filled out the part he himself never could. Victor was more of a father-figure for his son then he had ever been. And the self-admission stung more then everything._

"_OK, son! If everything, and I mean everything happens, or you just need me, call!" you know I'll hear you, O.K.?" waiting for an answer or at least a nod or a blink was fruitless. So Leo orbed out leaving an exhausted sigh hanging in midair._

_This was the last thing Chris saw from his father for a long time. Weeks later the traditional letter full of excuses reached him. He left it unopened on his desktop, not in need to read it to know that his father had abandoned him again._

_Only years later, after the events of his eighteenth birthday the young whitelighter learned that it was Wyatt's plot that had separated father and son. Not only had he cut the connection between Leo and Chris, no he had managed to send a shapeshifter imposing as Chris to their father, to tell him that the youngest Halliwell had destroyed the link himself and that he never wanted to see him again._

_The anti orbing spell over the whole city finally perfected Wyatt's plan to detract his little brother from their fathers influence..._

But now the bond simply had to work…it had to!

Chris focused on his father entirely and felt their bond intensifying with every little bit of more hope he set into the elder.

The tricky thing was that he had to reach Leo with the first try. If Leo cut the connection or, what would be more probable, did not believe him then this ghost of a chance they had would be wasted. The link would be gone like all the other powers before.

Don't be stubborn, for this one time in your life…please just don't be stubborn!´ Chris prayed silently while he felt the connexion "snap in" which always resounded as a tinging in his head.

OK now…watch your words, Christopher!´ How he hated to speak with his father that way. Communication between the two was always…difficult to say the least. Why couldn't speaking to his own father be as easy as with Victor, for example? With him he could talk a mile a minute, could be relaxed. Talking to his father felt like some freaking via voce exam. Anyways there was nothing else for it!

"LEO!"+

…

"LEEEEEEEOOOO!"+

"Chris, what the…"+

"Leo, no time for long explanations now! Please, for this one time, just hear me out!"+

"You are playing with my mind and expect me to trust you anyways. To trust YOU!? Bye bye Chris!"+

"Nonono Leo! Please! You can do what you want with me afterwards but now we have to save the sisters" + A sudden silence confirmed Chris that now he had the full attention.

"What happened?"+

"We are trapped in the underworld in some sort of power-sapping cave, and our orbing powers are gone by now. We use them – we loose them!"+

"Power sapping cave? Which demon is able to do such spells?"+

"Ehmmmm…the………….s…source"+ Chris went all meek and humble.

"THE WHAT?!"+

"Leo! Stay focused! We need you to orb us out of here. But you'll have to find someone to orb you down here first, or you will be trapped down here too! Don't forget you use a power here you loose it! We only have one chance with that! Hurry Leo! The demons have almost reached the sisters I try to cut some slack for you" +

An ear-piercing scream distracted Chris – which was although the end of the connection. Now Chris could only hope that Leo would come. And the chances were bad, after all trusting Chris the last time had Leo landed in Valhalla…he…

Once again that scream, and now he understood the demons had gotten through.

He had to find a way…a way to take them down all at once. He knew how to do that, but even the memory of his almighty power-blast made his body ache all over. And here it would mean loosing them all…

"Piper, Phoebe, Paige!"

"Chris, you're alive!!!"

"No time to exchange pleasantries. Everyone DOWN!" He screamed without much further ado. If his mom would kill him for the ceiling-thing, for this stunt she would manage to bring him back to life at least a few times to kill him again or, if he was favoured by fortune, he would only be grounded for the rest of his life.

"So on three" He spoke aloud. The demons turned to look puzzled at him.

"One…" A deep growling made the ground quaking.

"Two…" Electricity like tension hung in midair which made the tiny hairs in the charmed-ones necks stand. They at the latest now knew that something BIG was rolling in.

"NO!" Piper screamed feeling for sure that her youngest was about to do something irrational dangerous, but was at the same time dragged down by Paige who knew that her nephew was deathly resolved right now.

"Three!" Chris called out, hoping his family was down on the ground behind the remaining rocks as deep as they could by now, cause he couldn't hold the build up energy much longer.

The power went of in the familiar annular wave which took everything with it what happened to stand in its way…

Before he faded into oblivion the young whitelighter heard the jingling of orbs over the thunderous whirring in his ears. "Save!" He mumbled slightly smiling as he broke down.

TBC…


	33. Chapter 12: Last part

**Disclaimer:**

**Readers-crowd** +marching in front of the loft, carrying banners+: NO MORE COUCH JOKES – NO MORE COUCH JOKES-NO MORE…

**Chris**+ closing the drape cautiously+: I think we've overdone a bit with our couch-disclaimers!

**Wyatt:** You don't say!

**Chris:** Next time it'll be your turn your almighty highness of all evil!

**Wyatt**+ glares!!!+

**Chris:** Hey bro´ wanna see something funny…+opens the drape a bit to reveal his face.

**Crowd outside**+ cheers and applauds+

**Chris **+opens the drape some more to make his brother seen although+

**Crowd:** BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!!

**Wyatt: **That's unfair. They are treating me evilly!

**Chris:** That's maybe because you ARE evil.

**Wyatt:** Am not!

**Chris:** Yes you are!

**Wyatt:** Am not!

**Chris:** Yes you are!

**Wyatt:** AHHHHHHHHHGRRRRRRRR I'm going to blast you up if you don't shut up your….

**Boys, boys boys…! ****What's happening here right now? I may not own you but...**

**Wyatt:** He is making fun of me!

**Chris:** Don't be such a wimp…at least look at the last chapter…I'm their hero right now +grins and opens the drape again, greeting the cheering people in the front-garden.+

…and who wanted to blast up whom a second ago…

**Wyatt:** But he said I am evil.

**Am I telling you anything new when I say**** - YOU! ARE! THE! SOURCE!!!!**

**Wyatt:** It's only about power…+Chris opens the drape once more+

**All inside and outside:** …not about being evil!!!!!!!!!!

**Wyatt:** +opens the window+ You folks should stop watching so much TV and GET A LIFE!!!!!

**charmedgrl4ever **+ steps in front of the crowd+: So what about coming out so we can have some "real life"!

**Chris**: OK,OK let me promise you something…let me save Wy first…

**Wyatt:** …don't need to be saved…

**Crowd:** **Yes you do!**

**Chris:** …and then I'll invite you all to dragons big-"NO!" – Finishing-party.

**Crowd:** +applauses+

**Just keep on writing reviews, so I'll not forget you!**

**Chris:** +pensive+ They don't know how this story will end…

**Wyatt**+ smirks evilly+: They definitely don't know…!!!

* * *

**Chapter twelve / last part:**

…

"Leeeeo!" Phoebe who stud next to the elder embraced him enthusiastically. "You came to our rescue! But oh no, now your orbing powers are gone too, you know this cave…"

"I know, I know…Chris already told me. A fellow elder orbed me here. But let's talk when you are somewhere safe. Take my hands and up we go!"

Piper who still tried to take in what she'd just seen was unusually quiet. Chris had once more saved them at the risk of his own life. The wacky boy had taken on a huge horde of demons – alone! What was this with every time risking his head for his plans? A strange kind of death-wish?

Oh Piper would talk with her son about that as soon as they were out of this hell-hole…by the way where was he?

"Has anyone a clue were Junior is right now?!" She asked cautiously.

"Dunno! No sawy!" Came her sisters' answers promptly.

"He was standing over there before…" Paige pointed which drew the common attention to the spot where Chris should have been.

Leo stud still with his outstretched arms and felt utterly ignored. "Come on you three; let's get you out of here first. This is the sources lair, no park as I may remind you. I have no intention to meet the source itself!"

"Not without my son!" Piper stated resolved while she climbed over the last rocks to look for her missing youngest.

"That again…" Leo started to moan but was interrupted by a shrill scream.

"CHRIS!" Piper had found the limp body of the young whitelighter.

"He has even over-exceeded my expectations!" A deep voice spoke eerily out of the darkness.

"Let's get out! NOW!" Leo started to panic. "I'll come back to get him, promised!"

"NOT without HIM!" Piper was firm.

"You won't escape me anyway!" The seer sneered sure of victory as she emerged from the shadows.

"Now now, Seer! Everyone knows that you have no offensive powers and your minions are all gone. Do you really think you are a match, even with our reduced powers…"

A dry laugh resounded from the stonewalls.

"So where do you think the absorbed powers went, elder? I'll have to deliver them to the source finally, but by now they are all channelled inside of ME. You have no conception of how much power this pain-in-the-ass whitelighter possessed, haven't you?"

With that she conjured the biggest energy ball in her hand Leo had ever seen.

Leo activated his elder powers, always the words of Chris "You use them – you lose them!" resounding in his head. Ok then this had to be resolved with one hit.

And what a hit it was! The seer was flung into the wall a nasty hole gaping in her chest. But she didn't try to fight the inevitable. She had already known it would come that way.

Leo, Phoebe and Paige ran immediately to Piper and the still unmoving Chris.

"We orb now!" Leo decided without further discussion. And soon the whole Halliwell clan including one for once unresisting young whitelighter dissolved in sparkles of blue and white.

…

"Mommy!" The sources daughter ran crying out of her hiding place. "Please don't die mommy!"

"I can't change this, honey…we…knew…it would come that way." The seer choked out with vanishing strength.

"But I don't want to!" The girl answered defiant and hurt.

"I know…but you will avenge your mom, will you?" She stroked a bloody hand over her little daughters' cheek with the last of her power.

"We will punish them mommy, I swear!" She said with all the resolve of a five year old.

"I just started to destroy the strongest of them. He will never find rest now, believing that he can't be the heir of the greater good…which he already is." She chuckled evilly, blood seeping out of her mouth. "I set up the most destructive thing in his mind. The…the thing hardest to fight – DOUBT!"

"I don't understand that, mommy!" The trembling girl said, round eyes staring intently as if to will away death itself.

"But you will, believe me one day you will!" Slowly the seers' eyes started to flutter shut.

"Then my aim in life will be vengeance to all Halliwells! S´that what you want?"

"That's my girl! You'll become the source one day. P….promise…me…"And with these words the life left the seers eyes forever."

"I promise, mommy, I promise!" …

TBC..


	34. Chapter 13: Healing

**A/N: **A BIG thank you goes out to "grace" – I love it if you help me to find my mistakes. If you find some more…just send me a message and I'll correct them…Still no-one outthere who wants to beta a story of almost 100.000 words??? PLEASE! Just copy it …correct it (maybe with underlining the corrected words…pretty please????) …and send it back to me. I would be forever grateful!!!

* * *

**Disclaimer:**

**Wyatt:** Look what I found sorting out my old stuff in the attic.

**Chris:** That's an old notebook from second grade from me. What's so special about it?

**Wyatt:** Just wait and see+reads aloud+

Weekly homework essay by Christopher Halliwell

Essay subject:

My family

My family is the bestest in the world….

Oh she marked "bestest" – a pity I liked your creation.

…I live with my mom and my dad and my big brother Wyatt. I always wanted a dog but mom says it would get (blasted) +scratched out+ neglected anyways. My dad works as a (whitelighter)+scratched out+ carpenter so he helps people a lot.

(My mom kills the bad. But they are bad so it is good that she does that.) +scratched out+ My mom is a chef. I like her cake most.

My brother Wyatt is so cool. He shows me how to (orb and we think up new spells together)+scratched out+ he shows me how to ride my bike and we do a lot of fun-stuff.

On weekends we are often at my grandpas house because its save there, when my mom and aunts are out to (catch the bad guys)+scratched out+ help other people. My grandpas' name is Victor and he knows great stories. But I like my dads' stories because they are with witches and demons and other things.

If I had a wish I would like to have my own room, because Wyatt always makes fun of the book of shadows I (wrote)+scratched out+ …invented.

I would although write about my cousins but there are too many and I have already done my two hundred words task.

Wyatt laughs out aloud+

**Chris:** What? I really tried hard not to reveal anything!

**Wyatt**** +snorting with laughter+:** Yes, I know that but the best is yet to come.

Teachers comment in green ink:

Christopher, your writing skills are getting better and better. Go on like that.

In red ink:

Dear Mrs. And Mr. Halliwell-Wyatt.

I have made an imperatively appointment for you at 9.30 tomorrow for you and your son Christopher.

Jane Goodmann / educational psychologist & school counselor.

**Chris**** +smiling+: **Yeah, and after that the cleaners had to clean up some memories…

**Wyatt:** …after that your homework never left home unchecked again and I had to write your essays together with you…thanks brother.

**Chris:** Don't blame me. I tried to correct all of my mistakes.

**Wyatt:** You scratched them out. Everyone tries ESPECIALLY to read the things someone scratched out!

**Chris:** I was seven years old, for gods sake!

**Hey boys are you ready up there because despite ****I don't own you**** I'm determined to feed you anyways.**

**Both**** +laughing+:** COMING+storming down the stairs.

* * *

**Chapter thirteen: Healing**

"Leo heal him!" The charmed-ones demanded, all gathered around the couch Chris lay on deathly still.

"I checked on him. Apart from some minor cuts, which I healed and…ehm…you know what, he's fine. Just the worst case of exhausted powers I've ever seen. I did some kind of power transfer so he should be waking up soon.

With that he left the boy to the fussing of Phoebe and Paige and wandered to the big colourful sun-room window.

Piper joined the pensive elder soon after.

"Don't you think that he could be your son?" She spoke his thoughts out aloud.

"No he can't be! I…I can't be his father!"

"But why Leo? What is it that makes it so hard for you to believe? It's all there: His looks, the powers, his determination to save Wyatt, everything. Don't you trust my intuition?"

"But then… all the things I've said…all the things I've done…!

It can't be!" And with that –how could it be other than that- he orbed away.

"Take your time to think it over." Piper said sadly smiling into space "I know that you'll come eventually to the right conclusions. And he'll be waiting for you, I know he will!"

"Piper hurry! He's coming round!" Phoebe called and triggered the mommy-mode instantly with it.

Piper settled herself quietly besides her waking son.

"Hey there" she whispered smiling while brushing a stray strand from his dust covered face.

Green orbs looked hesitantly up…Then a smile scurried over his face…"I told you it was a dumb plan!"

"Oh you…!" He heard Paige grumble as one of the cushions hit him right in the face.

"Hey!" He started to shoot back but the flying feather projectile was orbed away to the next chair.

"Your…your powers!" Chris stuttered.

"…They are back. All our powers came back with the seers' death!" Paige explained.

"She's dead? How senseless." He mumbled. But in secrecy he was glad to have his powers back too.

"She left your father no other choice…" Paige started to tell but was interrupted by Piper.

"Enough for now! He needs rest, a lot of rest!" As she looked at her soiled cushion she corrected "OK, first a shower, then a lot of rest."

"I will meanwhile cook something for you!" Phoebe squealed exited.

"Don't you dare to even enter my kitchen respective to try what you call "cook-something?"

"We've just survived one life threatening situation we don't need you to create the next!" Paige stated dryly.

Chris sat grinning on the couch looking unbelieving at his aunts. "Honestly I've never seen you like that…"

"Go take a shower!" All three Halliwell sisters screamed in mock anger…

…

Not an hour later the freshly showered and satisfactorily fed whitelighter looked still the worse for wear.

"Chris you really have to go to sleep now. Let us take care of things at least for sometime." Piper tied to talk her son into laying down once more.

"But I…" Chris blinked, swaying slightly. "But I don't want to!" There! Now they knew that thing too.

"Now lets talk straight. Why Chris? You're on the verge of your strength and to be honest you look like death warmed over! If you don't sleep you are making yourself sick Chris!"

The turn this conversation took now made Chris more than nervous. But with his mom looking deep into his eyes he couldn't lie. Man, that look made him instantly feeling five again…

"I know, but…I mean…if…if I sleep, I dream." Chris looked churned up to the side avoiding the look of his mom which ranged between …So what!...´ and …Awwwwwwwwww…´

"I…I dream of…everything! Its driving me crazy!"

"Is that why?" Piper asked softly.

"I don get your point."

"Is that why you took the potion?" Piper felt it was time to lay everything on the line.

"You know? Why did you never ask then?"

"We wanted you to tell us of your own accord, wanted you to trust us, but…"

"…I never did" Chris finished for her.

"No you never did." She almost whispered.

Now, knowing that Chris was her son the truth hurt Piper even more. He didn't trust her and seemed to plain right disown his father.

"Why Chris, why?"

Chris took a deep breath.

"You know, since a …certain time, there were only grandpa and me. We used to talk a lot, but he was far too fragile at that time to burden him with huge problems. So I had to sort things out with myself. And in time I kind of unlearned to share my problems. I only relied on myself. It became some sort of automatism."

Wow It had been a long time since he had talked that much about himself.

Piper took her youngest into her arms. "But you can learn again! We´ll help you with it!" Brushing a light kiss on his forehead she pushed him gently down onto the couch and tucked him in. "Sleep...", she cooed "you can let go now…" And slowly the familiar voice of his mother made his eyelids heavy, till he in the end let them fall with a released sigh.

Christopher Halliwells soul had found home again.

TBC…


	35. Chapter 13: Healing 2

**A/N:** OK here is definitely the penultimate part of "NO!"

So why don't you take the chance to review and get at least one time mentioned in the authors notes…or just simply review to make me smile what would make you muuuuuuuuuuch more appealing !!! Oh and make Chris smile too, he needs it because mommy is on the march!!!

**Disclaimer:**

**Chris:** But mooooooooom!

**Piper:** Don't mom' me, young man. You are packing your things and come home this instant! It can't be true! An under-aged boy living with strange women and his older brother together in this…this…

**Wyatt: **…loft mom, this is our loft.

**Piper:** For me it is an old, dirty factory floor. The keyword here is DIRTY! My gosh I will have to check both of your tetanus status, first thing we get home…!

**Wyatt:** But you can't force me mum. I'm not under-aged anymore.

**Piper:** Let's see what I can and can't do!

**Wyatt:** +darkly+ Just go and try it!

**Piper:** Don't give me that source crap, young man. You are the twice blessed and MY son, by the way. You won't be the source…EVER!

**Wyatt:** Okay, mom…!

**Piper:** See how to manage such things Christopher! No running away from home. No suicide missions, no BLOODSHED! Just plain old mommy-power.

**Chris:** Wow she's still got it!

**Wyatt:** Oh shut up Chris!

**So that's it? Mission ended? Story finished? I understand your feelings Mrs. Halliwell, but isn't it possible that your sons at least end the story here**

**The readers are going to kill me if we don't ****finish the story.**

**Piper:** +seeing the pleading eyes of her sons+ All right! But if Chris here doesn't get his happy end, I'm going to blow you up missy!

**Deal! I will see what I can do for all of you. Trust me you will like the end**

**And you know, hence the fact I don't own the two boys, I have the duty to give them the best end I can manage to write. So don't worry, Mrs. Halliwell!**

**Piper:** It's Piper! Just call me Piper. I'm feeling like a seventy years old literature teacher if you call me "Mrs. Halliwell".

**Chris:** Oh, and Piper…

**Piper:** +sends him a death-glare+ For YOU still mom, Christopher…!

……..

* * *

**Chapter thirteen / part two:**

"Shhhhhhhhh!" Piper shooed as the familiar orb jingling threatened to wake up her youngest, who seemed for one time to have found rest in his restless life.

Leo silently stud besides Piper watching the peaceful picture.

"He's finally asleep!" Piper sounded as if she would talk about her baby.

Speaking of whom…

The tiny toddler orbed into his fathers arms as on cue.

But seeing the boy on the couch he wriggled instantly out of Leos hold.

"Geeeeeeee!" Little Wyatt walked on wobbly legs to Chris side who lay, eyes still closed, on the couch a few feet away.

"When did he start walking" asked Leo perplexed

"That's another thing you've missed" Piper stated sad.

"I think we should change a lot of things, Piper…I've made so many mistakes, and you and our children are paying the price…"

"Did you just say children - as in plural…" the astonished charmed one winked at her husband.

"Mhmmm" Leo muttered consentient.

"So you believe him now?"

"How could I ever have not…I mean look at him – sleeping, without all this anger surrounding him – he is a copy of you…"

"…And you!"

"…And me!" Leo grinned, all strains falling off of him.

"Piper do you think I… I mean we…have we got another chance? I don't want him to grow up with all these feelings of anger and abandonment.

And Wyatt too… Maybe that's what contributed in the end to his turning…!"

"Oh Leo, don't go there, let's just simply make it better this time around…"

"You mean…?"

"Yes I do!"

With that Leo slung his arms from behind around the only woman he would ever love, the only reason for him to fight for all what was good in the world…OK, one out of three now…or maybe…

He would have to ask Chris that question sometimes, the elder thought with a widening grin.

…

"Geeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Wyatt was still on his task to reach the sleeping whitelighter.

"Oh no, no, no! Wyatt! Let Chris sleep, honey!" Piper called trying to quieten her little eldest son.

"What is he saying?" Leo asked curious.

"Nothing special. He does this a lot lately. I think it's a sound of excitement…

Come here Wyatt!"

"Let him!...Look!" Leo held his wife back.

"Geee?" Wyatt stood now right in front of Chris slightly slanting his head to the left in mute request to talk to him.

Chris not so much as stirred.

"Geee?" The little boy now laid his head carefully beside Chris´ on the cushion, looking intensively at his closed eyes.

"Leo, I think I know now what he's saying…the "Gee"…its Chris!" Piper whispered still watching, touched by the scene of brotherly affection occurring before her.

Wyatt started to pat the sleeping withelighters back carefully.

"Not now buddy" came the muffled sleepy voice out of the depths of the pillows.

"Go play with mom please!...

Wyatt, stop tickling me!...

Chris is really, really tired, Wy!"

Leo and Piper meanwhile forgot to breathe, looking in bewilderment at their sons.

"Did you see that too Leo? Did you see the light? I mean it was small…could have been the sun or something…!"

"No, I think it's exactly what we think it was."

"It would be his first…"

"…healing!" Leo fulfilled his wives sentence exited.

Piper was meanwhile already rushing to her sons' side.

"Chris! Chris honey, could you wake up for just a moment please!"

"Mmmmh…What? The exhausted whitelighter mumbled but almost instantly as his mind was more awake, Chris started up with a gasp.

"Huh! Something happened?"

"Maybe… yes…! Chris could you please lift your shirt for me, just for a second!"

The whitelighter just that moment recognized his fathers' presence in the room.

He thought Piper wanted to show off his scars to Leo, and was… embarrassed.

"Mom, please!!!"

"Geeee!" Wyatt called while he excitedly nodded approval; instinctively feeling that something significant was happening here.

Seeing the look full of expectation in the toddlers' eyes, Chris turned away from the boy and lifted his shirt so his parents could see his…an unbelieving silence pervaded everyone…

…totally unharmed back…

Better to say it the silence pervaded everyone but Chris…

"What?!" The boy asked in growing annoyance. "It's not like you haven't seen worse before…!"

Piper silently took her sons hand and led him in front of an old, half blind mirror on the opposite wall.

"Look!" She whispered momentarily overcome with a ton of emotions at once.

Carefully the young whitelighter stole a quick glance at his exposed back, something he hadn't done willingly for a long time!

"Oh!" Was all he said…

TBC…


	36. Chapter 13: Healing last part

**A/N: So this is the end my friends…nah almost. After this there will be a nice little epilogue, but then…+stares into space+**

**OK just do me the favour and lighten up my mood with a little review. Tell me how you liked the story, which was my first one ever.**

* * *

**Disclaimer:**

**Chris:** Hello everybody, this is our first party-disclaimer. As promised, the last chapter of "NO!" (before the veeeeeeeeeeeeeeery short epilogue – just so you have been warned!) ends with our own little finishing party….

**Wyatt+starts the music+:** Thanks to anyone who endured our endless ranting about the good, the bad and the power….

**Chris:** Oh no Wyatt you are doing it again….quick eat this hotdog…+mutters+ this will keep him occupied for a while…

**And I´d like to thank especially all of my faithful reviewers – you are all the BEST!!!!**

**Here comes my very special "thank-you" list…**

* * *

**My thanks together with all my heart goes out to:**

Devil´sEquinox

neuroticperoxideblonde

rozzy07

BlackHalliwell – the dude with the spare – but meaningful – words!

Grace

PrInCeSsFBi – the absolute crazy chicks…thanks for all of your very motivating e-mails!

k9cat – who adopted spontaneous my little demon girl!

leoandpiperlova

Kitty-Witty-Kate – stuck with me on "both sides" …awesome!!!

bhh charmed SN fangirl

Belen – muchas gracias querida companera…hope that was right??? You are THE best

reviewer ever!

E – I understand now the true value of honest critics…thank you!

creativhead

ColorsOver

Burgirhig

Karone Evertree – the girl with the constant delay….LOVED your reviews

TVCrazed - still crazy about soooooo many reviews!!!

mmelon3

Nina430

Shadow315

LidiaElf

rachel.m.g.

HunterorSlayer

crazydffgang – Chrissy you will always have a bed in our loft…thanks for EVERYTHING!!!

Warriora – founder of the FHO who disappeared on the way…hope you are all right girl?!

Touch of the Wind - you were always there, thank you for every single of your reviews...

Blue Eyed Dragon Girl - hey girl...thanks a lot!

Miko-of-Wind

Lady Cecilia Rose

fullmetaldevil

charmedgrl4ever – a truly great reviewer!!!

Karakin

renestra-karay

Shaitanah

Rosalene

cdfe88

jka1 - short name, so I almost forgot you even if some of the most reviews are from you - BIG thankyou!!!!

Marysmary

raiderettedrum

Brilliance of the Moon

Gabwr – always there…+bows in awe+

Star Fata

Princess in the Pea

Rotem

bstant

incinera

SF

petites sorcieres

Dru – thanks that you gave me a piece of your mind…

shyeye

Yoko Anare

Azzy494

Jamie15

Dramagirlet15

Olivia Solar

aerohead1980 - always coming around with some cool reviews...yeah!!!

laily7420

Amantine – so many reviews fro you…thank you!!!

ash-rox

alex7420

October17

forestwife - sending big hugs into the forest...!

History Bluff 1990 - not history...legendary - THANKS!

DimpleBulbo

crepes

Hilz72

Silvermoon

alison lightning

MissHaunted-MoonLight – Rachel my beta…best and most patient beta ever…we wil finish this, girl…!!!

Trinilee Greenleaf

Blackangle 2011

lac t

Riker15

dreamgirl93

CrazyC87

Joralie

whiteninjetti

Sister of Death

BeautifulDeath13

scme

Sparrow317 – a big thankyou!!!

C

neb92

Lies-and-Truth

Charmed-One-Forever

lizardmomma

sylaine

Soul of Sorrow

peppymint

BasketCase

Altaira – which I almost forgot…she loves my couch jokes…yey!!!!

DracoAngelOfLight

Manavie

Cyrene Icesis

Marcus1233

Suvivor-Chick

MsSuus – glad you found me again…

Secret Thought

…

**That's it… oh just forgot thanks to everyone who put me to his favourites or on their alert…yey for you!!!**

**Oh and I almost forgot...I still don't own them (but I'm working on it!!!)**

**So now lets PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARTY!!!!!**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 13 / last part**

…

A tousled barely awake young man sat besides his father.

Piper had decided that it was high time for the two to talk things over and had pushed her husband next to Chris onto the couch before she abandoned them to their fate.

"So I was never there for you, hmm?

Was I really that bad?" Leo asked, fearing the answer.

"No, not bad. You were a great dad when you were around. You just were…you know…busy."

As on clue a low but insistent jingle made itself heard – an elders call.

"See what I mean…?!"

"So it was the elder stuff then?" Leo asked ignoring the jingling-request from above.

"Most of the times…"

"But you said I had time for Wyatt. Why not for you?"

"You know, Wy had always that special talent to get into trouble. The big trouble sort of.

Like conjuring dragons out of TV sets, if you know what I mean.

There were always things the elders had to react to.

My kind of problems weren't that spectacular. They were more…human. Like a broken arm or something like that."

"Don't tell me I didn't heal you!"

"Oh yes you did!" Chris choked out with a dry laugh.

"You came, you healed, you were gone! Always the dutifully elder. But while you fulfilled duties of the greater good, all what I needed was a father, not a superhero.

All I needed was a hug afterwards and maybe to be tucked in and a bedtime-story to make me forget what I went through.

But you simply left, called away by your next duty. Leaving me with the feeling to be a nuisance; being nothing more than another duty for you!" Chris worked hard to suppress the tears that started to fill his eyes.

"And we never talked about it? You never told me?" Leo felt awful.

"When, Leo? The last time we were alone for more than a couple of minutes was when I was four years old. No wait you'd planned to spend some time with me after not coming to my eleventh birthday. Mom got worried because I didn't speak for a whole week afterwards.

Shall I tell you something: From this time on I was determined to forget the whole father-concept. You became Leo´, like some sort of remote relative you see once a year. And you needed over eight month to recognize it.

For some time I still kept all your cosy letters filled with apologies. But they portrayed a father I never really had - and Wy although…not really. But I was never jealous about the little more time he spent with you. He needed it so much more then I did. He was really craving for it."

"And you?"

"I had learned not to need you. I never really knew what it meant to have a dad. I mean _really_ meant. You know Wyatt unlike me had memories of you living at home, being around all the time.

I was some sort of the families own Peter Pan – by the way the only of my children's books I actually liked, sort of. The others were all that mendacious. I early started to prefer the mature ones. And I started to concentrate on demon studies early. Something important."

"But what about you – what about _your_ dreams Chris?"

"My dreams…?"

…

The long due conversation between father and son was quiet and intense.

"…Later I recognized that something had happened, that I hated myself for…

I had become like you!

Outwardly I resemble mom the most, but on the inside…

I'm just as determined, stubborn and devoted to the greater good as you Leo!"

Memories flashed into his mind…the seer… "…chosen by evil…the link…never be fully on the good side…!" no that couldn't be the truth…but what if??...Chris brushed the gnawing thought aside.

"How can I hate you still, while being the same way you are? And now that I know the other side of you – see the way you act through an adults eyes. How can I go on hating you?""

And it was the hate, the anger that had always detained the pain from coming through. Every time his carefully bottled up emotions of hurt and disappointment impended to come up, his anger and hate kept them at bay.

How could he survive now that his so neatly build up system crashed down inside of him – now that he realized that his walls inside crumbled? He felt like that insecure four-year-old again.

And suddenly he recognized strong arms hugging him the way it should have been all the years back.

Leo felt as his sons head slowly sunk onto his shoulder - a barely audible "dad" was all Chris was able to utter.

TBC…For the last time!


	37. Epilogue

**A/N:** So here comes the definitely last part of "NO!"…

I'll make this short, because otherwise I'll start to babble and in the end I'll probably dissolve in tears…

Thanks to everyone who took the time to read this and special thanks to my faithful reviewers. You are all awesome!!!!!

So all of you stay save and sound.

As I said…I keep this short…

xxx dragonsflyfree

* * *

_**Epilogue**_

Chris wounds were healed. For the first time in what felt like a millennium to him, he had the feeling he could breathe again.

His family loved him. There was no more need to hide anymore. They loved him and believed him, even trusted him now. He knew that now everything would turn out fine. They would save Wyatt - together. Maybe his inner wounds would start to heal too sometimes. All he needed for that was here.

With that Chris fell into a deep restful sleep without the slightest nightmare.

…

Bright light flooded the room silently.

Tia hovered shining over the young whitelighter and placed a last kiss on his forehead.

"I think you don't need me anymore" she said as Chris smiled in his sleep. "But I'll stay near by… just in case."

…

"You have lived up to your name, Tian-Zhou", she heard a deep, soft but the same time powerful voice whisper as she unified with the greater good again.

"Never think we would let you down, young Christopher Halliwell – heir of the greater good", the voice whispered, as the bright shine faded.

THE END


End file.
